Obituary of Ann Wright Cowman

December 28 1934 – March 27 2024

It is with great sadness that the family of Ann Cowman announces her death of natural causes on March 27, 2024. She was predeceased by her parents Bob and Doris (née Loffman) Wright and her older brother Bob. She will be lovingly remembered by her husband David, and her children John (Cathy Eliot), Rebecca (Brent Bentham), and Deborah (Chris Lowry). ‘Nana’ to Luke, Lauren, Maddy, Will, John, Sarah, Robert and D.J.  Ann  grew up in the countryside near Birmingham, England. She married David Cowman while she was studying to be a nurse and David was in medical school. They emigrated to Canada in 1965 with their three  children, and settled in the Oshawa area. Her father, a butcher by trade and a country squire by inclination, had once planned to homestead in Canada, so her urge to come here was a fulfillment of that ideal. Her homework on the boat across the Atlantic was to read Susannah Moodie’s Roughing It In The Bush. She quickly took to the New World, buying a cottage and learning to ski and curl. As new Canadians, they even rode the TransCanada railway across the country to see what it was like. Ann’s energetic, curious and restless nature found an outlet as a travel agent, visiting and writing about trips to exotic places in her column in the Oshawa Times, “Travels With Ann”. A competitive sprinter as a girl, she and David raced Thunderbirds at the local yacht club. She enjoyed kids’ track meets, and could sometimes be found taking over the megaphone to announce the races. . Ann also liked local politics.  She served on Durham Regional Council for many years starting in the 1970s. In 1988, hearing that Princess Margaret was coming to Canada, she wrote to Buckingham Palace inviting the Princess to attend the re-opening ceremony for the restored Newcastle Town Hall.  The princess came, and Ann enjoyed her moment of glory. Over the years she found many outlets for her creativity, developing talents for both painting and fabric artworks. One of her last big projects was the restoration of a ruined 1847 log home out on the Salem Road near Little Britain. Ann and David enjoyed many adventures, travelling all over the continent in their camper van. For the last twenty years they have lived in Port Perry with a view of the lake from their balcony, amidst their collections of fine antiques and clocks. At home with all kinds of animals, she loved visits from dogs and their human companions to the very end. Ann was a bold problem solver, and passed on her philosophy of resourcefulness to her children and grandchildren. The family will have a private memorial and burial. In place of flowers please consider donating to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.The family will have a private memorial and burial. In place of flowers please consider donating to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Memories, photos and condolences may be shared at www.waggfuneralhome.com