Mark Cowan

August 12, 1955- August 24, 2022 Mark was born in Seattle, Washington, to Gene and Janice Cowan. He spent his childhood and teen years in Beaverton and Newberg. He attended Linfield College on a National Merit Scholarship. After college, he wrote software for several years. Eventually, he turned his systematic mind and his interest in astronomy into a business making telescope mirrors for amateur astronomers. He was particularly interested in the possibility of programming computers to control mirror-making machines; in fact, his gift of choice for his last birthday was a thick book on Python programming! Mark and his partner, Jey Wann, built a life together around their shared interests and very different, but complementary, personality types. Music was one shared interest, and they spent many hours playing Renaissance and baroque music together on their recorders. Mark was a former member of Salem Madrigal Singers, and a current member of the Figs & Thistles recorder ensemble. Mark`s many other interests included mycology, physics, Buddhism, and using artificial intelligence to make art. He is survived by his partner Jey Wann, sister Jana Cowan (Tijeras, NM), nephew Jacob Cowan (Katie) (Dundee, OR), and great-nephews Shaman Judah (Tijeras, NM) and Alister Cowan (Dundee, OR). He was preceded in death by his parents Janice and Gene, his sister Lori Cowan, and his nephew Jason Logan. Mark loved cats, particularly Mimsy Borogove, the torbie he and Jey adopted four years ago. Donations in his memory may be made to Salem Friends of Felines, (https://sfof.org/support/make-a-donation/, 4157 Cherry Ave. NE, Keizer, Or 97303), or to the charity of your choice. A gathering in Mark`s memory will be scheduled at a later date.