COWAN, Bryan Dale

COWAN, FRIEDRICHSEN, CLOW, COOPER

Posted By: Lynette Edsall (email)
Date: 8/20/2007 at 09:50:05

Bryan Dale "Butch" Cowan, 63, of rural Quimby died Monday, Aug. 13, 2007, at a Sioux City hospital following a year and one half battle with esophageal cancer.

Services will be 4 p.m. Friday at Washta United Methodist Church in Washta, Iowa, with the Revs. Carolyn Hollar and Bob Blair officiating. Burial will be in Sunset View Cemetery, with military rites. There will be a family prayer service at 3:45 p.m. Friday at the church. Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Visitation with the family present will resume 6 to 8 p.m. today at the church.

Butch was born May 3, 1944, in Holstein, Iowa, to Harold and Harriet (Friedrichsen) Cowan. He lived in Galva, Iowa, until the age of three and spent the majority of his life on a farm west of Quimby. He attended school at Grand Meadow through his junior year of high school and graduated in 1962 from Marcus, Iowa. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army and was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky. He completed the U.S. Army infantry school airborne course in 1966 and was discharged from serving his country in 1967.

He married Monica Clow on June 14, 1971, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee, Iowa. He was a longtime cattleman and farmed west of Quimby for more than 40 years. He owned and operated the Cowan Cattle Company with his son. They ran a herd of Shorthorn and commercial cows along with a small feedlot operation. Over the years on the family farm, he also raised Quarter horses, ran a flock of ewes and spent some time in the hog business. In recent years, in addition to the farm, he operated Cowan Trucking.

He loved the farm and everything that went with it, especially his Shorthorn cattle, horses and farming with his Allis-Chalmers equipment. He enjoyed attending livestock events across the country and had taken a special interest in driving horses. He had just purchased a new team this spring. He was glad to see his children and granddaughter carrying on the farming and cattle traditions that his family started.

He was a member of Washta United Methodist Church, the American Shorthorn Association, Cherokee County Cattlemen's and Washta American Legion.

Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Monica; a daughter, Amy Cowan of Platte City, Mo.; a son and his wife, Wade and Mary Cowan of rural Cherokee, Iowa; a granddaughter, Rebecca Cowan; a brother and his wife, Verlyn "Fritz" Friedrichsen of Alton, Iowa; a sister and her husband, Joelle and Lance Cooper of Denison, Iowa; many nieces and nephews; and several dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Malcom "Mick" Cowan.