Henry Barnes Cowles

1944 - 2017

Henry 'Hank' Barnes Cowles

Memphis, TN

Henry (Hank) Barnes Cowles, born December 13, 1944, died September 20, 2017, of complications after surgery. Hank was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

Hank was a native Memphian who graduated Christian Brothers High School and Bellarmine University, Louisville, Kentucky. He was a partner in Bluff City Electronics, a business that his father Alfred L. Cowles co-founded, and, at his death, was the proprietor of The New Corkscrew Wines & Spirits downtown.

Hank and his wife Barbara were urban pioneers moving downtown in 1985. Hank Cowles was instrumental in the revitalization and historic preservation of the South Main Historic District and was past president of the South Main Neighborhood Association. As president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, his efforts resulted in the re-zoning of South Main and adjacent area from light industrial to mixed use. Hank and Barbara undertook the Herculean task of saving and renovating the historic John Alexander Austin house, ca 1873, and several other historic buildings. The Austin House was a labor of love and has been their home for 24 years.

Hank Cowles is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara Cowles, his two sons Towner Cowles and Henry Cowles II, four grandchildren, and brother Alfred Cowles, Jr.

Visitation will be at Canale Funeral Directors 2700 Union Ave. Extd., Monday, September 25th, from 5 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Church Health Center, 1350 Concourse Way, Memphis, TN 38104, or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.