Frederick W. Cowan

September 23, 1918 - February 24, 2015

CANAAN, VT – Mr. Frederick W. Cowan, 96, of Canaan, died peacefully at the Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook on Tuesday evening, Feb. 24, 2015, after a long period of failing health. Fred was born in Lisbon Falls, Me., on Sept. 23, 1918. It was in the midst of the great Spanish flu epidemic of that year, and Helen (Caspar) Cowan left Portland to have her second child at the home of her parents. The son of Frank I. Cowan, a prominent attorney, Fred grew up in Portland and graduated from Deering High School. Fred often recalled hiking in Maine and New Hampshire, with tales of wilderness camping in Pinkham Notch and skiing Tuckerman Ravine with a group from Deering High School. He knew Mount Katahdin well enough to once guide Maine’s Governor Baxter, who preserved the area as a state park. At University of Maine, Fred entered the School of Forestry, and prepared for his long career in the woodlands of New England and Québec. He joined the National Ski Patrol there also, beginning an interest he pursued into his 80s. Skiing continued to be his sport, but he also managed the university’s track & field team. Graduating in 1941, Fred was declared exempt from military duty, so he went to work for the St. Regis Paper Company. He began his lifetime love of the northern forests when he was assigned to travel to Pittsburg, NH. There his lodging was often a tent, and his board whatever he could carry, as he cruised the forest. After Pearl Harbor, Fred’s military status suddenly changed, and he was assigned to the 87th Mountain Light Infantry Battalion. This predecessor to the 10th Mountain Division was sent to drive the Japanese out of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Fred was later transferred back to the Colorado. It may have saved Fred’s life when he was reassigned to the 656th Topographical Engineers, since so many of his 10th Mountain unit perished in an Italian campaign. Fred was sent to Europe for surveying and mapping duties, often behind enemy lines. He also was a member of a small group that would climb mountains in Germany and Austria at night to set up radio beacons to guide British bombers on missions to Germany. Like many World War II veterans, these stories of his military experiences were suppressed for many years after he returned to his civilian occupations. After the war Fred returned to work at the St. Regis office in West Stewartstown, NH. Getting involved with the local people, Fred met Joan Locklin, whom he married on April 1, 1950, beginning a marriage that lasted for nearly 65 years. Moving to Canaan, VT, Fred and Joan raised four children, and Fred became involved in local concerns, and served, at various times, as a Selectman, School Board Director, Water Commissioner and Town Moderator. He was also actively involved in the Society of American Foresters, Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, the NH-VT Timberland Owners, and served as on Vermont’s Fish & Wildlife Commission. When the Wilderness Ski Area opened in Dixville Notch, Fred resumed activity in the National Ski Patrol and as a ski instructor there. In 1973 he was asked to take over as Timberlands Manager for St. Regis, based in Bucksport, Me., where he remained for three years. Early retirement from St. Regis brought him back to Canaan where he started a land-surveying business, eventually employing two of his sons. Travel and learning about the history and cultures of foreign countries had always been a keen interest in common for Fred and Joan, so in semi-retirement and with the family grown, they began making frequent trips to more than thirty countries. In later years Fred wrote weekly columns for the News & SENTINEL. He never seemed to run out of ideas for topics of interest to his readers and only gave up his writing when a long period of declining health made it easier to stop. Survivors include his wife, Joan (Locklin) Cowan of Canaan; a son, Dr. Frank L. Cowan of Canaan; a daughter, Dr. Stephanie (Cowan) and husband Anthony Bellomo of Jericho, Vt.; son Jonathan Cowan and wife Dr. Julie Schubert Cowan of Bethel, Me.; and son Timothy Cowan and wife Sarah (Pollard) Cowan of Vergennes, Vt.; and his sister Cynthia Dunlap of Orono, Me. Fred took great pride in his five grandchildren: Brit Cowan of New York City; Seth Cowan of New York City; Hannah Cowan of Salt Lake City; Helen Cowan of Vergennes; and Peter Cowan, also of New York City. Fred was predeceased by brothers Caspar and Douglas Cowan. There are no public calling hours. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2015, at the Grace Community Church in Canaan, Vt., with The Rev. Brendan Whittaker and Pastor Frank Sawicki co-officiating. An interment service with military honors will occur in the spring at the Canaan Village Cemetery, of which notice will be given. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Mr. Cowan may be made to the 45th Parallel EMS, 46 Ramsey Rd., Colebrook, NH 03576. Funeral arrangements in NH are under the direction of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook.