Our Angel Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and Friend, Margaret Emmy Von der Werth Cowan, 93, slipped into eternity on July 20, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Margaret was born on April 17, 1929 to Reinhold Von der Werth and Louisa Amalia Heiderstaedt Von der Werth in Chicago, Illinois. A child of the Great Depression, Margaret learned the value of hard work and thriftiness early in life.
Living in Salt Lake City with her family, she attended “Cottage Meetings” with her Mother where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was taught by young LDS missionaries. Even as a young person, she was drawn to spiritual discussions and learned everything she could about her Father in Heaven. The doctrine of eternal families resonated with her and she and her mother joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1964.
Margaret graduated from West High School in 1946 and shortly thereafter caught the eye of a handsome Marine just home from serving in World War II. She and our Dad, Lawrence Thomas Cowan, married on January 1, 1948. As young newlyweds, they purchased their first home and one by one children Daniel, Kristine, Kaye and Scott were added to the family. Our parents provided us a stable and happy childhood and each of us felt loved and cherished by our parents.
Mom was involved in the PTA in our schools, and supported each of us in our extracurricular activities. She served in the Primary presidency for many years in her ward. Mom made lunches for us to take every day to school. She took us to church every Sunday and made sure our school homework was done every night.
Dad passed away much too early in 1980 and she grieved him for the rest of her life, but she picked herself up and began working for the Department of Commerce for the State of Utah. She was an exemplary employee and was given several awards. She retired in 1994, but not for long. After retirement she volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the Third District Court for many years. She also volunteered for the Sons of the Utah Pioneers Association, the LDS Genealogy Library and Canyon Rim Elementary School.
She spent years searching for the names of her ancestors in the LDS Genealogy Library and turned in hundreds of names to the Temple for baptism and endowments. Mom and Dad were sealed in the Temple on March 24, 1981. She loved to go to the Temple and attended sessions up until her early 90's. She loved the gospel with all her heart and had a strong testimony of her Father in Heaven, her Savior Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. She looked forward for so many years to be reunited with her husband and her precious mother on the other side of the veil. God has granted her heart’s wish and has taken her home to be with Him and her beloved family members who predeceased her.
Margaret is survived by her children Daniel (Marilyn) Cowan, Kristine (Chuck) McStotts, Kaye Knoop and Scott Cowan; her grandchildren Aubri, Nicole (Nick), Andrea (Ben), Noelle (Dan), Annalee (Mike), Lawrence (Rachel), Marnie (Devin) and 20 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her mother, Louise Loertscher, her husband, Lawrence Thomas Cowan, her sister, Marian Black, her step-siblings Milton Loertscher, Phyllis McNeill, Eileen Hancock and Iris Ranck; her nephew, Bill Black and her beloved grandson Elder Matthew Knoop.
A Mother’s hug lasts long after she lets go. We feel blessed beyond measure to have her as our Mother. She was strong, stalwart, kind, loving and faithful. Her love has always been a sustaining force for our family and now has come full circle as we love and honor her. We will hold her close within our hearts until we can be with her again.
A viewing will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022 from 10:00 am until 11:45 am at the Canyon Rim 3rd Ward Chapel, 3051 South 2900 East, Salt Lake City, Utah with funeral services immediately following at 12:00 noon. Following the funeral, interment will take place at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Cemetery at 3401 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah.
