COWEN, Denis (Den)

June 13, 1929 - April 25, 2023
 
With great sadness we announce the passing of Den Cowen at the Sault Area Hospital with family by his side.
 
Special husband of Jean for 64 1/2 years.  Beloved father of Jeanette and William (Katina).  Proud Grandad to Evan and Grandpa "Fix-it" to Elliott and Francis.  Brother of Eileen (late David) and predeceased by Olwyn (Chris) and Eric (Isa).  Brother-in-law of Allan (Dorothy). Den had many nieces and nephews in both Canada and England.  
 
Born in the North of England, he was a mischievous lad and it was not unusual for his parents to hear a rap at the door from an irate mother or father who would have a story about what young Denis had done this time.  During the war, he watched airplanes and V2 rockets flying overhead, on their way to bomb the local airport.  A love of planes convinced him to join the Royal Air Force at 17 where he served for 5 years.  
 
After leaving the Air Force, he trained to be an electrician, deciding in 1957 to join his brother in Canada, where he worked at Algoma Steel and briefly down the mines in Elliot Lake before returning home to get married.  He returned to Canada with his new wife Jean in 1959, settling in Sault Ste. Marie, where he worked once again at Algoma Steel for the next 33 years.
 
Den loved the wilderness of northern Ontario and Michigan’s upper peninsula, enjoying camping, fishing and staying in cottages with his family.  He was a dedicated handyman, always hanging on to scraps of wood and old nails 'just in case’.  He loved tinkering in his shed, tending his tomato plants, and enjoyed afternoon tea on his deck during the summer.  An avid reader, Denis was a regular patron at the public library, and also had a large collection of books at home. One of his favourite topics was the history of UFOs. He rode his bike until he was 90 and enjoyed working out with his friends at the George Leach Centre, even in his 93rd year.  
 
To his family he was a wealth of knowledge, as well as an entertaining storyteller who made us all laugh with his great sense of humour. His pleasures were simple: his home, his family, good neighbours and walking in Bellevue Park where he liked to sit on one of the benches atop the berms and say, “Where else would a person want to live – I am so lucky.”
 
Thank you to the excellent staff at SAH, especially on 3B, Home and Community Care Support, Bayshore, CBI, CarePartners, Group Health and long-time physician, Dr. Bishop, for the care you provided our loved one.
 
Friends and family are invited to gather at the Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. -705-759-2522). on Sunday, May 7, 2023 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.  Memorial contributions by cheque or online to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation, ARCH Hospice, or a charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.  Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the Cowen family.