Frances Cowan

COWAN, Frances Passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 at Leisureworld Muskoka Nursing Home in Gravenhurst in her 102nd year. Beloved wife of the late Ken Cowan. Loving mother of Peter, Cameron, Peggie and Terry. Much loved Gram to Mike, Cliff, Jodi , Kim, Kelden and Anisa and Great-Gram to Jamie, Alex, Sam and Ben. Sadly missed by extended family Bernie, Sandi, Mark and Aldo. Frances was predeceased by her brother Jack and son Cameron. A graveside service will take place on Friday, May 1st, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Mickle Memorial Cemetery in Gravenhurst. A reception will take place at Feel Better, 480 Muskoka Road South, Gravenhurst, Ontario at 12:30 p.m. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations can be made to The Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund, held at the Muskoka Community Foundation www.muskokacommunityfoundation.ca. Messages of condolence can be left at www.cavillfuneralhome.com. The family wishes to express their thanks to the staff at Leisureworld for their daily care and kindness. Frances Cowan devoted her life to helping others. After working for the Toronto Elizabeth Fry Society, she founded the Scarborough Distress Centre in 1965. She moved to Muskoka in 1972 and her door was always open for anyone needing a shoulder to lean on. She became a Baha'i in 1946 and knew every Baha'i in Canada at the time. She believed firmly in helping to create world unity however she could, the oneness of religion and loved all the great religions. Through it all her belief in the ideals of the Baha'i faith was a bulwark for her, channeling her energies so that she touched many more lives than she otherwise might have. Belief made her strong and single-minded. For most of her life, she was legally blind. She used magnifying glasses to read as much as she could anyhow, and often mentioned how much she wished she could read more. As well, she had hearing and balance problems, but she pushed against the restrictions this placed on her. She could not be defied once she had made a decision, working away on each task she set herself with a fervour. This applied to everything from making tea for you to paying for things to standing by someone she had decided needed her help. She believed in big ideas and big questions and never tired of any opportunity to talk them over. Her great sociability meant that on any given day at least one person was likely to drop in. Inevitably tea was made and snacks brought out. She loved nature and especially the water. She was an avid swimmer in her youth and took her canoe out regularly well into her 80s. She always had pets. She had an ongoing war with the squirrels that were, in her opinion, raiding her bird feeder. Her coveted bay window was full of flourishing plants long after it had become too hard for her to garden outside. She did not care for fashion, she was frugal, she did not drink. She was happy to feed her guests but for herself spent only the minimum necessary time on food. She preferred to use her energy for things she regarded as more interesting. As far as she was concerned, it was the decency and humanity with which people treated each other that mattered, and really nothing else.

Service Information

Friday, May 1st, 2015 11:00am, Mickle Memorial Cemetery

Details:

Service Extra Info A graveside service will take place at Mickle Memorial Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. followed by a reception at 12:30 p.m. at Fee Better, 480 Muskoka Road South, Gravenhurst, ON

Interment Details

Mickle Memorial Cemetery