Betty Ellen Cowan

Betty Ellen Rhymes Cowan at 87, returned to her eternal heavenly father on April 15, 2016 after a long struggle with dementia and later Alzheimer’s disease. The devotion of her family and her faith in God supported her in this struggle and ultimately gave her peace.

Betty was born to the late V.L. and Hazel Rhymes, a railroad switchman and a homemaker, in Denison, TX on December 4, 1928. She was part of the railroad and Christian community in Denison that would be a great influence on her the rest of her life. She came from a poor family whose home was a converted railroad boxcar. She lost her father in a railroad accident at an early age. In 1943 she married Billy Ross Cowan, also a railroad switchman, now deceased and had two sons. She graduated from the Denison High School; Salutatorian and later obtained an Associate Degree from Austin Community College. While in Denison she worked at Bell Telephone, Kress’s department store and ultimately working as an assistant for a physician’s office for eight years.

Betty’s life changed when the family relocated to Austin, Texas in 1961 when her husband became a union railroad lobbyist. She was employed at Burnet Junior High as a secretary to the counseling department and retired from that position in 1991. She managed to find time to attend Austin Community College and graduated in 1981. The move to Austin gave Betty an exposure to ideas that fed her creativity. She became a talented landscape painter, an accomplished quilter and avid reader with interests in art, fossils and geology. She spent much of the time in her later life researching the family’s genealogy. Billy, her husband, became seriously ill and retired in 1981 at the age of 56. Betty was his caregiver and constant companion until he died in 1999.

Betty was blessed with a large and loving family and is survived by her son’s Terrence and Michael Cowan, Terrence’s spouse Maggie Cowan, Michael’s ex-spouse Tracy Cowan. Her grandchildren; Cody Cowan, Kelly and Travis Peterson, Tara and David Marquez, Lindsey and Satch Ellis, Jennifer and Gary Montgomery, as well as her great grandchildren; Billy Cowan, Ella and Henry Peterson, Janeah, Aaliyah, and Gavyn Ellis, Desiree Harvey and Alyssa Montgomery. Betty was preceded in death by her husband Billy Ross Cowan, her brother Franklin Rhymes, and her mother and father V.L. and Hazel Rhymes.

Betty will be buried at the Coffman-Layne Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. on April 21st, with a lunch to follow at the Cotton Patch off Morton Street and Hwy 75. The family gratefully declines flowers and donations, but prayers, condolences and memories are gladly accepted at the web site.