Terence Edward "Terry" Cowan

Terence "Terry" Edward Cowan, age 82, of Grand Haven, passed away on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at home. He was born on August 1, 1943, in Muskegon, MI, to Edward and Marion (Johnson) Cowan. Terry married Linda Buckner on January 28, 1988, in Grand Haven.

A lifetime can be measured in a million different ways: the number of breaths we take, the beats of a heart, the deeds we've done, fleeting conversations we have with strangers standing in line at the grocery store, the way we make people feel when we're not around. Some people navigate their lifetime quietly, simply, and gently. They grace us with their presence like a soft nudge, a subtle kindness; the kind of person who could be a cozy blanket on a winter day. Terry Cowan was rarely one of those people. Instead, he was a hurricane of a man. Wherever he went, he left raucous laughter in his wake. Where some people are a candle, Terry was a bonfire. Too full of vim and vigor to be contained, he was mischief incarnate, forever chasing the next bit without a single moment of hesitation.

As a young man, Terry did what many other young men were doing at his age: he enlisted with the United States Air Force, where he would become an aircraft mechanic. He believed in the American Dream and was fiercely proud of his service to his country, having been in active duty from 1961 to 1965, during the Vietnam War.

Once Terry returned to start living his own dream, he made sure he didn't waste a second of it. Every opportunity was approached with curiosity, a can-do attitude, and an engineer's affinity for taking things apart and putting them back together. Nothing was beyond his aspiration. He learned to do autobody work; every aspect of construction; large-scale gardening, hunting, and fishing; and in the midst of it all, he also learned how to be a husband and a father.

Terry moved back to Grand Haven in 1967, after his first daughter was born. He would raise his family here, where both of his daughters would also learn to do their own vehicle maintenance, to change a tire, to catch a fish or hunt deer, and to be good stewards of their community through acts of service.

Whether Terry was stomping around the garden in his iconic cowboy boots and timeless handlebar mustache, or doing a crossword puzzle with a John Wayne movie playing in the background, time spent relaxing was rarely time spent idle.

As with many who are bitten by the urge to wander young in life, Terry never lost his adventurous spirit. He and his wife took many road trips across the country and even took an RV to Alaska with his mother-in-law and grandparents-in-law. Later, he found a home away from home on St. George Island, FL, where he would spend many winters on the sunny Gulf Shore, fishing pole in hand, making friends with anyone fortunate enough to walk past. Terry was someone people found themselves drawn to, and these chance Gulf-side meetings became the basis for many lifelong friendships.

If we commit ourselves to learning from those who came before us, let us all be a little more like Terry. Pick up a saw, drive across the country, spit your teeth out at a toddler, tell a story for the 57th time, greet a stranger like a long-lost friend, pierce your ear because it's funny, help your neighbor because it's the right thing to do.

Even though he isn't here to see his legacy in action, he can live on in each of us striving to be the best version of ourselves, not only to those we know, but to those we don't know and those whom we might come to know. After all, every moment is an opportunity begging to be seized.
Toodle-oo, sayonara, ta-ta for now, Terry. The next crossword is for you.

Terry will be forever remembered and missed by his beloved wife of 37 years, Linda; his three daughters: Chris (John) Helder, Tina (Bob) Bunker, and Catherine (William) Hegedus; six grandchildren: Britney Helder, AJ (Logan) Bunker, Michael (Allie) Hegedus, Dylan Hegedus, Meranda (Justin) Szymanski, and Lauryn Bunker; five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; three brothers: Paul (Linda) Cowan, Robin (Annette) Cowan, and Timothy (Susan) Cowan; and several nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Lois and Wesley Buckner; and many in-laws.

In accordance with Terry's wishes, there will be no services held.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Hospice of Michigan or the American Cancer Society of Michigan.