Morris Cowan

Morris Joseph Cowan, Jr. passed peacefully in his home while on hospice after good-byes from his family.He was surrounded by them through the 15 years following his stroke, under the loving care of his wife, Janet.He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather.

Morris was born to Morris Joseph Cowan, Sr. and Alice Estelle (Bielenberg) Cowan in Gulfport MS where he lived until he attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi.During his boyhood he was active in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and proudly achieved first the Eagle Scout badge and then the higher honor of the Order of the Arrow (the national honor society of the BSA).He joined the U.S. Navy in February 1962 and served in the Medical Service Corps where he met Janet Marie Gessner, a Navy nurse, at Portsmouth Virginia Naval Hospital.They were wed in Philadelphia, PA on September 3, 1966 and celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2016.They raised three daughters, Tracy Lynn Cowan (Glenn) Gray, Marilee Cowan (Gregory) Schaeffer and Bridget Ann (Kenneth) Merdan, always demonstrating their love and family values as an example for each of them to follow with their own families.

During his 20 year military career Morris served in medical research at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, near Washington D.C, and the Navy Toxicology Detachment at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton OH.He then worked for Medtronic until his retirement in May 2001.In addition to his career, he applied his scientific mind from everything to fixing things around the house and teaching his girls to “do it themselves” to developing BBQ recipes to make Janet for dinner.He loved to take photos of the family and took great pride in the annual Christmas photo by the tree.He was also a devoted son, caring for his parents through the years and during his retirement.Following his stroke he worked through his disabilities with the persistence and care of Janet, attending the Courage Center for therapy.Morris and Janet loved to travel, which continued despite his stroke.They visited their children across the globe in Hawaii, Japan and Belgium and took trips to Alaska, Ireland, the Mediterranean, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, as well as various U.S. cities and National Parks.

He is survived by his wife Janet, daughters Tracy, Marilee and Bridget, and seven grandchildren: Jonté (16) and Anika (14) Gray; Greta (7), Lauren (5) and Jack (5) Schaeffer; and Addison (12) and Nolan (10) Merdan.

Special thanks to the Park Nicollet Hospice staff for the supporting care provided to both Janet and Morris during his final 16 months of life.

Morris’ memorial service will be held 11:00 AM on Monday September 11, 2017 at St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church, 9100 93rd Avenue North, with visitation at the CHURCH starting 10:00 AM.Internment with military honors will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at 1:30 PM.

Memorials preferred to Boy Scouts of America (www.scouting.org) and Semper Fi Fund (www.semperfifund.org).