Obituary of John Cowans

COWANS, John Cassils On Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in his 92nd year. Predeceased by his wife Elizabeth Grant (Betty). He leaves his daughters Linda (Brent) Cochrane and Andrea, his son Fred, as well as his grandchildren John Cochrane, Anne Cowans and Stewart Cowans. John was born in Montreal in October 1919. He enlisted in the RCAF on May 10, 1940. In June of 1942, John became one of the first 1,000 Canadians to fly across the Atlantic. He was awarded the Air Force Cross and retired from the RCAF in September 1945 having flown 2,062 hours, 1,505 as an instructor. In civilian life, John was a stockbroker at McDougall & Cowans, O'Brien & Williams, Baker Weeks and ending his career as president of Molson & Co. Limited. His friendship with three fellow WWII pilots, James G. Stewart, H. Robert Ledingham and Peter S. Leggat, lasted for the rest of their lives. The group called themselves "The Throttlebenders." They went fishing in the spring, shooting in the fall and for a few years, skiing in the winter. Wives were allowed to ski with the boys! Throttlebender outings also included various lunches and some impromptu gatherings, but the fishing trip was the mainstay and there were 60 consecutive years of that tradition. After retiring from the brokerage business at the age of 50, John and Betty lived in St. Andrews, New Brunswick for the next 28 years. They had many friends and were active in that community. John regretted leaving "St. A" but moved to Port Hope, Ontario to be closer to Linda and Fred and their families. John enjoyed his independence. Until the end of his life, he characteristically looked after his personal affairs and made all of his own decisions. A memorial service will be held in the HUMPHREY FUNERAL HOME - A.W. MILES CHAPEL, 1403 Bayview Avenue (south of Davisville Avenue) on Tuesday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m. Condolences and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.