Obituary of Doreen Cowan

Cowan (Smith), Doreen Elva Passed away peacefully with her family by her side at the Hardy Terrace Long Term Care on Sunday, October 16th, 2022 in her 97th year. Beloved wife of the late Keith (Teckie) Cowan. Loving mother of Harry (Annette) Cowan, Bruce (Molly) Cowan, Janet (Ivan) Palmer and Barbara (Ken) Leslie. Cherished grandmother of Alex, Darryl, Scott, Bianca, Heather, Andrea, Jennifer, Brian, Emily, Tim, Ben, Dan, Christy and Katie. Beloved Great Grandmother of over 20. She is predeceased by her parents, Margaret and Ernest Smith, her sister Phurn Cullen and her brother Reston Smith. Born and raised in Ottawa, Mom was 16 when she met Dad, the love of her life. Once Mom graduated as a Registered Nurse from the Ottawa Civic Hospital, they married and settled in Kingston, where Dad was an engineering student at Queen’s University. Mom nursed at the Kingston General Hospital until their first son, Harry, was born. Dad had to give up his motorcycle when Mom refused to ride it home from the hospital with newborn Harry! Mom supported Dad in his need to build and create. From converting an uncleared, inaccessible lot on Lake Kashwakamak to a beautiful three bedroom cottage - all built by hand! - to constructing a large log home in Flesherton, Mom was always by Dad’s side providing insight, encouragement and nourishment. WIth hands that were never idle, Mom created many intricate needlepoints. She always had some knitting and crocheting on the go and loved gifting beautiful homemade sweaters and afghans to her family. Reading was also a passion with good books being treated like good friends! Mom loved sewing and made all her own clothes - suits, dresses, overcoats, even Barbara’s wedding dress - were created at a couturier level. She made many beautiful quilts that required many hours of hand quilting. As an accomplished bridge player, Mom was not always patient with players who could not keep up with her! She really enjoyed golfing, where she enjoyed being “far from the sound of dishes”. The rules of the game were, apparently, meant to be interpreted loosely. Very skilled in the kitchen, Mom loved to serve up a beautiful roast beef dinner every Sunday. She always had a fully stocked pantry of home-made preserves, jams and pickles. Mom was never happier than when she was swimming. She would go into the lake at every opportunity. She loved to ski and made sure her children had lots of opportunities to swim and ski. Pervasive in her life was her passion for all animals, but especially dogs. Mom was never without at least one dog and at one point she had three. When particularly frustrated by her children, she had been known to joke that if she had it to do over again, she would have raised dachshunds instead of children! Volunteering has always been near and dear to Mom starting when she led Boy Scouts. She was active in the Canadian Cancer Society, the Red Cross and volunteered with Hospice Wellington. As a widow, Mom never stopped missing Dad. She filled her days with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and her beautiful sewing and crafts. Gregarious and friendly, she has always had many friends. She was a gracious, thoughtful and intelligent person. The family would like to thank the nursing staff and Dr. Abbott at Hardy Terrace for their care of Mom over the last few years. Your warmth, caring and professionalism were always evident and were greatly appreciated. The family welcomes donations to Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario (RMHC-SWO), or a charity of your choice, instead of flowers. Click here for RMHC-SWO Tribute Donation https://www.rmhc-swo.ca/how-you-can-help/online-donation/in-tribute-in-memory-donation. At the family's request, cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will take place at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to the Beckett-Glaves Family Funeral Centre, Brantford (519) 752-4331. A tree will be planted in memory of Doreen in the Beckett-Glaves Memorial Forest.