March 5, 1040 – September 28, 2019
Albert M. Cowen, age 79, born in Kansas City, Missouri, departed this life on September 28, 2019, in Sugar Land, Texas. Albert was born on March 5, 1940, to Clarence Eugene Cowen and Helen Carrier, who preceded him in death. Also preceding him in death was his eldest sister, Margaret Neden.
Albert is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy Cowen, and stepson, Wesley Love. His surviving siblings are his brother, Kenneth Cowen, and sisters, Eleanor Maddox, Juanita Chavez, and Carolyn Thomas.
In 1965, Albert M. Cowen enlisted in the Marine Corps and shipped off to El Toro in Santa Ana, California, where he trained to be a radio technician. Honorably discharged in 1968, Al became an officer on the Merriam, Kansas, police force, serving under the command of his big brother, Sgt. Kenneth Cowen. Al lived his adult life in and around Merriam. He joined the Masonic Order of Freemasons in Mission, Kansas, and rose from third degree Master Mason to thirty-second degree Shriner in the Scottish Rite.
It was during this time that he would meet his future wife, Kathy. Little did he know that it would take five decades to find, reunite, and rekindle the sparks that had become just a memory. In all that time, Al had never married.
Al and Wesley, Kathy’s adult son, developed a wonderful, loving, and trusting relationship. Al couldn’t have been prouder than the night Wesley called to confirm that he had proved the Master Mason third degree and intended to follow him through the thirty-second. This brotherhood brought them even closer together.
Kathy and Al lived a blessed life between their homes in Galveston and Missouri City, Texas. Although he never took to getting sand between his toes, Al was fascinated with the pelicans flying in their check mark formation, the sun rising over the sea in the early dawn of the day, and the magical reflection of the moon on a midnight sea.
Kathy, Al, and his entire family believe that divine intervention brought these two together again. Those stories will be told later. The puzzle pieces that God placed before them slipped together seamlessly into a picture of a perfect life. They were blessed with second chances, and the final reunion will be forever after.
Semper Fi
