Vernell Owens

PICKENS —Vernell Owens will be retiring in April  2014 after 19 years of dedicated service with Pickens Savings and Loan Association.

Owens has spent her years at Pickens Savings as a teller and has been a vital member of the bank’s customer service team. Owens is a member of the historic Soapstone Baptist Church and spends many hours volunteering her time for the church. Owens’ smiling face can always be seen at the fish fry that the church sponsors on the third Saturday of each month.

Owens was born in Alabama but grew up in Florida with 10 siblings. She moved to Massachusetts in 1960, and it was there that she met her husband, Clifton Owens.

Her husband is from South Carolina, and in 1995 he and Owens made their move back to Pickens. Owens has been blessed with three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She plans to spend more time with her children and grandchildren, as well as her mother, who will celebrate her 92nd birthday this year.

Pickens Savings and Loan officials thanked Owens for her years as an exemplary employee and wish her a happy retirement.