Lewis S. Cowden
Marriages
Mary Ellen Cowden - July 3, 1934
in Norfolk, Virginia.
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise - January 27, 1994
LEWIS S. COWDEN 1909-1994
Former Eagle resident Lewis S. COWDEN died Jan. 17 at St. John's hospice in Denver following a lengthy illness.
COWDEN, who worked as a state water commissioner for over 20 years, was responsible for checking agricultural and domestic headgates on the Eagle and Blue Rivers and all of their tributaries.
"He walked those rivers from one end to the other," remembers his wife, Mary Ellen.
Lew COWDEN knew every inch of the Eagle River from its headwaters on Tennessee Pass to its confluence with the Colorado River at Dotsero.
He was born Jan. 27, 1909 in a coal mining town in South Canyon (west of Glenwood Springs). His parents were Fred. B. COWDEN and Grace G. Singleton (COWDEN). The family moved to Eagle in 1915, where Lewis attended school. He graduated from Eagle High School in 1926, then spent two years at Colorado A&M where he studied surveying. COWDEN earned a Congressional appointment to the Naval Academy. He left the Academy and enlisted in the Navy in 1931. He served as a first-class aviation machine mate. On July 3, 1934, he married Mary Ellen COWDEN in Norfolk, Va.
From 1939-1941, the Cowdens owned and operated a gas station in Eagle where Dalco Realty is currently located. In 1941, the Navy hired COWDEN as a civil service employee. He spent a month in San Diego, then was sent to Pearl Harbor in June, 1941, and along with his family survived the attack on Pearl Harbor in Dec., 1941. He spent the remainder of the war as a Marine reservist on Ford Island. After the war, the Cowdens returned to Eagle. For six months, they raised cattle, wheat, and Red McClure potatoes on Bellyache.
In May, 1948, he accepted a position as State Water Commissioner. He retired in that position in January, 1975. He and Mary Ellen build a house that still stands on the corner of Sixth and Washington streets, across from the town park. The family shares many beautiful memories of the house and family gatherings under the big weeping willow tree.
Lewis COWDEN was a talented photographer. Friends remember that he always carried his camera with him. One of his best pictures was of the Mount of the Holy Cross. His children used that photo as the basis of a painting that they presented to Lewis and Mary Ellen on their 50th wedding anniversary.
His step-sister, Lucille LIEBER of Eagle, Remembers that he was fond of the Eagle Valley, and enjoyed being outdoors. He was well informed on county history. LIEBER remembers that as a young girl, when she worked at the Montgomery Hotel (located on the corner of Third and Wall Streets, where the Eagle Valley Telephone Company building was located), Lewis showed up at the end of her shift each evening and walked her home. Friends also remember him as a meticulous record-keeper, and an avid sports fan.
"He was a perfect husband for 59 years," says Mary Ellen COWDEN.
In addition to his wife, COWDEN is survived by his daughter, Mary Louise SULLIVAN and her husband Edwin of Denver; and a son, Lewis "Ike" COWDEN and his wife Patty of Big Piney, Wyo. Survivors also include a sister, Ethel FESSENDEN and her husband Leo of San Clemente, Calif.; step-sister Lucille LIEBER of Eagle; a brother, Wayne C. COWDEN and his wife Donnalyn of Pleasanton, Calif., six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Rocky Mountain News - January 29, 1994
Lewis S. COWDEN, 84, of Denver died Jan. 17 at Hospice of St. John in Lakewood. No services were held. The body was cremated. Mr. COWDEN was born Jan. 27, 1909, in South Canon. He married Mary Ellen COWDEN July 3, 1934, in Norfolk, Va. He was a state water commissioner and Navy veteran.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Mary SULLLIVAN of Denver; a son, Lewis R. of Big Piney, Wyo.; two sisters, Ethel FESSENDEN of San Clemente, Claif., and Lucille LIEBER of Eagle; a brother, Wayne of Pleasenton, Calif.; six grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.
