Wallace Edwin Cowan

Wallace was a native of Asheville and a graduate of Lee Edwards High School. He served approximately four years in the U.S. Navy during WWII servicing submarines. He joined Southern Bell as a lineman and over the next year worked as an installer and toll test man. He attended Asheville Biltmore College night school under the Southern Bell Tuition Plan earning and Associates Degree in Electrical Engineering and passed his NC Engineering/Surveying exam on the first try. After a promotion to the Division Engineering office the family moved to Charlotte. Later in his career, he had the distinction of being the first and only resource in NC working with cutting edge fiber optics technology. He wrote a detailed manual for the process of moving from analog to digital which was later adopted by BellSouth Corporate. He worked for Southern Bell until he retired.

Wallace met his wife, Nancy, at church in Asheville where they served as youth and later young married couples Sunday School teachers until they relocated to Charlotte. He served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Calvary Baptist in Asheville and Pritchard Memorial Baptist in Charlotte. He served in several leadership positions with the church over the years. He loved singing and was a faithful choir member. During his later years he was a member of First Baptist Church in Mooresville. He was a licensed professional surveyor and an amateur radio operator. He ran in the Charlotte 10K for several years. He loved learning and constantly building something. Over a period of several years he built the last home almost entirely by himself and they lived up at the “farm” until his wife passed away. He loved tennis, golf, hiking, traveling and camping. He was a man of integrity. He was generous. He was a man of faith and love the Lord.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 67 years, Nancy Kirkpatrick Cowan, his son Wallace E. Cowan Jr. (Eddie), one brother and one sister. He is survived by daughters Debby Cowan of Charlotte, Cathy Holland and husband Andy of Gastonia; grandchildren Jami Holland Johnson (Kyle), Matthew Holland (Elizabeth), Michael Holland (Tembre) and Kati Holland Long (Micah); and 6 great-grandchildren.

A private graveside service will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Wallace’s name to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the Robing Johnson Hospice House of Gaston County.