Lewis R. “Ike” Cowden and his beloved wife, Patricia Jane “Patty” Cowden, are finally together again. Ike passed away unexpectedly in Bouse, Ariz., on April 26, 2021. Nearly five years later, Patty passed away following a fall in Pocatello, Idaho, on April 13, 2026.
Ike was born in Bell, Calif., to Lewis and Mary Ellen Cowden. Alongside his older sister, Mary Louise, he was raised in Eagle, Colo. As a young boy, Ike lived with his family at Pearl Harbor while his father worked on aircraft at Ford Island. During the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, his father was missing for ten days before the family was reunited and safely returned to Colorado.
After graduating from high school, Ike joined the United States Navy and served his country for 22 years. Throughout his distinguished naval career, he served aboard numerous ships, eventually specializing in nuclear power. His final assignments were aboard the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and USS Nimitz (CVN-68). Following his retirement from the Navy, Ike finished his college degree in Idaho before moving with his family to Big Piney, Wyo., where he taught high school mathematics for another 23 years.
Patty was born in Bremerton, Wash., to John and Eileen McVeigh. The oldest of four children, she shared a close bond with her siblings—Skip, Diane, and Judy—that remained throughout her life. She attended Holy Angels Academy in Seattle, where her love of theater flourished. A true theater kid, Patty cherished every opportunity to perform on stage. During weekends, she traveled between Seattle and Bremerton, and it was there that she met the sailor who would become the love of her life.
Ike and Patty were married on January 28, 1960, and together welcomed four children in just five years. During Ike’s Navy career, the family moved from Washington to Virginia, Connecticut to California, and many places in between. Patty crisscrossed the country with her young family, faithfully following her husband from duty station to duty station. Though military life was often challenging, she was immensely proud to be a Navy wife. Whenever Ike was deployed overseas, Patty held down the fort with strength, grace, and determination.
After the family settled in Big Piney, Patty worked as a custodian at Big Piney Middle School. She adored the students and staff and was known for keeping a not-so-secret candy drawer that brought smiles to many faces. Her generosity extended to her ten grandchildren, all of whom knew Grandma’s house as a magical place.
Together, Ike and Patty created what many would agree was the best Grandma-and-Grandpa house in Big Piney. Their yard on Noble Street was filled with swings, forts, slides, a trampoline, a bridge, kiddie pools, and endless opportunities for adventure. Grandma would fill the kiddie pools with warm water from the tub so her grandbabies would never be cold. Their adjacent cabin became a gathering place for dance parties, ice cream socials, and sleepovers.
Grandpa was every bit as fun. He set up sprinklers and obstacle courses, buried “gold” nuggets in the garden for eager treasure hunters, and happily gave rides on the lawn mower—an experience many grandchildren considered the highlight of any visit. The memories created there remain treasured by generations of the Cowden family.
As the years passed and their grandchildren grew older, Ike and Patty decided to head south. Following Ike’s second retirement—from teaching—they moved to Arizona, where they happily embraced life as “desert rats.” They became active members of the American Legion, the USS Nimitz Association, the USS Enterprise Association, and the Bouse Ghost Riders Jeep Club. They also shared a love of casinos, especially slot machines and horse racing.
Ike and Patty lived full and meaningful lives, touching countless people through their kindness, generosity, and sense of fun. While they made homes in many places throughout the years, Big Piney was where they spent the longest chapter of their lives. It was, and always remained, home.
They are survived by their children: Tim (Shannon) Cowden of Idaho; Michael “Mickey” (Carolyn) Cowden of Kentucky; Bridget (Bill) Hower of Utah; and Shawna (Duncan) Rogers of Oklahoma.
They also leave behind their cherished grandchildren: Kari, Traci, Philip, Kevin, Brenna, Jordan, Kelly, Jackson, Kaycee, and Hanna; and their beloved great-grandchildren: Leighla, Ryan, Brantley, Pearl, Skyler, Ryder, Barrett, and little Amelie.
Patty is also survived by her baby sister, Diane Wendt of Bremerton, as well as several nieces and nephews living throughout the country and abroad.
A graveside service for Ike and Patty Cowden will be held at 1 p.m. on August 19 at the Big Piney Plainview Cemetery. Following the service, family and friends are invited to gather for an informal luncheon at the Marbleton Senior Citizens Center, where the family will receive visitors and celebrate Ike and Patty’s lives together.
