Richard H. Cowan, age 86, of Livingston, N.J. passed away at Overlook Hospital, Summit, on Friday May 19, 2023 after a nearly two-year battle with lung cancer.
Richard was bornAugust 3, 1936 in Orange, and spent his younger years there and in East Orange. He graduated from Cleveland Street Grammar School in Orange, and then from Clifford J. Scott High School in East Orange, class of 1955.
He proudly served two years of active duty in the U.S. Army at Forts Eustis and Story in Virginia and then in France from December 1955 to December 1957, followed by two years of active reserve duty.
He began working at PSEG in 1963 as a meter reader and retired as branch supervisor of the Customer Service Center in Orange after 33 years with the company. Thereafter, he spent approximately 20 years working for Northfield Pharmacy, finally fully retiring in his early 80s.
He and his wife Gladys, née Mallon, were married in East Orange at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on November 21, 1964. They moved to Livingston in 1974 where they raised their two daughters, Lynn and Kate.
Richard enjoyed taking care of his home, gardening, building model airplanes and ships, walking, studying history, reading, helping others, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.
In 2015, along with his brothers, he made an extended tour of the American West with stops at Yellowstone National Park, the Dakotas, and Big Horn Canyon, Montana. He adored his wife of 59 years, was a dedicated father, a fun-loving grandfather and could find humor in all of life’s moments.
He is survived by his loving wife Gladys, daughters Lynn (Jeff) of Maryland and Kate (Blake) of California, as well as three grandchildren, Julia, Ava, and Joseph.
His mother and father, Elizabeth and William, predeceased him as did his sister Jean. He is also survived by his sister, Margaret (Ken) Thompson; brothers, William (Ethel) and James, all of Livingston; as well as his nephew, William (Alyssa); and nieces, Karen (John), Jennifer and Kimberly.
Vigil Service will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 26, at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home in Livingston. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 27 at Saint Philomena Roman Catholic Church in Livingston with burial to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.
The family will host a Repast at Ravello’s in East Hanover after the burial.
To honor Richard’s love of gardening, flower donations can be sent to Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home, 145 E. Mt. PleasantAvenue, Livingston, NJ 07039.
