Barbara Ellen Cowgill

Barbara Ellen Markwell Cowgill, 76, passed away on Friday, November 24th, 2023, after a nearly year long battle with pancreatic cancer. She died peacefully (thank you, Bon Secours Open Arms Hospice) in her home in Mauldin, SC with loved ones holding her hands.

Ellen (who went by her middle name with family and close friends) was born October 29th, 1947, in Union City, Tennessee. She spent most of her young life in Tupelo, MS and graduated from Tupelo High School. And no, she didn't hang around with Elvis; he was 12 years older. She started college at Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri then returned to her home state for an associate degree in business from Itawamba Junior College before completing her education with a BS in Business and Industry at Mississippi State University in 1969.

She met her future husband Frank Cowgill at MSU in1967. Two years later, he proposed from a phone booth at boot camp. If this were a romcom, it would have been in the pouring rain. And since it was in Louisiana, that is quite likely. They married December 27th, 1969, while he was on leave. When the Army stationed Frank at Fort Bliss, Ellen left her job in St. Louis to join him in El Paso. Bliss seemed appropriate for newlyweds. They had their first child, Michael, while living in Texas. The couple moved to Memphis, TN to live with his parents when Frank's service was up. They tried apartment living and saved for their first home where their second child, Catherine, was born. Later, they bought a big, older home in midtown Memphis where they lived for 12 years. An animal lover, Ellen always had multiple pets – dogs, cats, ferrets. Some were rescues, some had special needs, but for a while Ellen had purebred dachshunds who became champion show dogs. Kids were also welcome in this warm and chaotic house, just add another pizza to the order. Two of Michael's high school buddies were there so much, they started calling Ellen “mom”. Both parents were involved in their children's scholastic and social endeavors. Ellen, largely indifferent to sports except when her child was playing, could become a screaming soccer mom.

Ellen never seemed to have trouble finding a job. For a while she enjoyed working for a law firm but found her niche in the medical field. The Pediatric Allergy Group, where her son had been a long-time patient, hired her as their administrator. She was well known and well respected in her field, becoming the president of the Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA) in Tennessee. Soon, a group of doctors in Chattanooga lured her away, and the family (minus grown up Michael) moved to Signal Mountain – a beautiful bedroom community above Chattanooga. Then a group practice in Anchorage flew her up to interview twice. She enjoyed the experience, but when her husband asked if she wanted the job, she said she was going to ask for a ridiculous salary and that would probably end that. But they met her demands and off Ellen went to the frozen north while Frank stayed to sell their house and let their daughter finish her senior year. Driving a U-Haul followed by his daughter driving an SUV, both packed to the gills, Frank and Cat took an adventurous journey from Tennessee to Alaska, where they lived for the next 20 years. Ellen worked as administrator for two different medical practices, earning the title of CEO at one. She was also voted president of Alaska's MGMA. Often the smartest person in the room (sorry doctors), she had great organizational skills and could see the big picture and get things done. Meanwhile, Frank and Cat got jobs with one of the few telephone/internet/cable companies in the state.

Cat left a piece of her heart when she left Chattanooga. After a couple of years of a long-distance relationship, she went back to Tennessee to marry the boy who was merely a friend in high school. The couple settled in Anchorage, so Ellen's first three grandchildren were Alaskans. When the kids decided to move to the lower 48, Ellen and Frank retired and moved soon after. They all settled in the Greenville, SC area, southern but with mountains and four seasons. Soon, Cat and David provided a fourth grandchild for Ellen to love and spoil.

She was diagnosed with Lupus Erythematosus during a time when it was considered to be terminal by many. She proved them wrong, battling ignorance both within the medical community and without, and working tirelessly with the Lupus Foundation to raise awareness,

while also educating herself and others about the disease. She fought it for years as it ravaged her immune system, while she continued to manage both family and a demanding professional career.

Ellen enjoyed crafts in her spare time. Her hands were always busy making something. She learned to make no-sew blankets (known as “Grandma Ellen blankets” by many) and gifted one to every family member and many friends. Her hobbies ranged from candle-making to macrame – including latch hook, needlepoint and punch-needle embroidery. Her children also became makers. Though her reading tended toward thrillers, mysteries, and women's fiction, Ellen joined her husband in attending science fiction conferences, where she discovered a love of sci-fi art. She collected prints and sculptures by well-known cover artists and was delighted to find a picture of an old lady who looked just like Frank's grandmother sitting in a rocking chair on the moon. They became friends with some of the authors and eventually helped the local science fiction club in planning their yearly Cons. Yes, Ellen was a great organizer. She also volunteered at the animal shelter.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Josephine and Charles Louis Markwell and her sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Glenn Dunehew. She is survived by her husband of 53 years Frank Eugene Cowgill, Jr.; two children – Michael (Kathryn Copeland) of Memphis and Catherine (David) Schwartz of Simpsonville, SC; and six grandchildren – Jake and Matty Copeland, and Cierra (Alex), Isaac, Denali, and Damien Schwartz. She was able to attend the wedding of Cierra to Alex Turner on November 2nd. She also leaves behind two nephews in Atlanta – Glenn Jr. (Nila) and Chuck (Linda) Dunehew and their children, and a heartbroken pooch named Beau who lost his canine companion Allee just two months ago and has now lost his person.

In lieu of flowers, please hug a loved one, pet a cat, rescue a dog, make something for someone, or volunteer or donate to whatever charities or causes touch your heart. And please appreciate every day you have on this earth.

A visitation for Barbara will be held Wednesday, November 29, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, SC 29609.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mackeywoodlawn.com for the Cowgill family.