John Rundberg Cowan - Leeton, Mo.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

John Rundberg Cowan, 86, of Leeton, Mo., died at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 11, 2005. He was born March 18, 1919 in Manila, the son of Edna (Rundberg) and Harry Welrose Cowan. The oldest of five children, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Anita Mooring and Carolyn Stakely, and a brother, Benjamin W. Cowan.

Mildred Armstrong and John Cowan were married Dec. 31, 1938, and shortly after moved to Boulder City, Nev., where he helped with the construction of the Hoover Dam. He served in the Air Force during World War II and spent two and a half years in the South Pacific. He returned home from the service and they made Bell City, Mo., their home where he farmed. In 1954, they moved to Leeton. He owned a farm in the Leeton community and was a car salesman in Leeton, Clinton, and Warrensburg and was active in the United Methodist Church of Leeton, and was a home builder for a short time. Cowan enjoyed his Lions Club work, being a member of the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, and the American Legion. He also served on the Leeton School Board as well as the County School Board. The Cowans enjoyed their membership in the Truman Ramblers camping club.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Mildred; a daughter, Charla, and her husband, J. Harvey Henry, of Lee's Summit; three granddaughters, Ann and Lea Henry, both of Lee's Summit, and Charity Wilkinson, and husband, Jeff of Lone Jack; two great-grandchildren, Hunter and Grace; a sister, Phyllis Gabriel of Dayton, Ohio; and several nieces and friends.

He was preceded in death by a son, John Rundberg Cowan, Jr. who was killed in a car accident in 1986.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, at the United Methodist Church in Leeton, Mo. Burial was in the Mineral Creek Cemetery. Family and friends gathered at the Leeton School Cafeteria following the services.