Finis Ewing Cowan, Jr., 94, resident of Dickinson, Texas passed from this life, Wednesday, November 15, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. He was born to proud and devoted parents, Finis Ewing Cowan, Sr. and Kathleen Hardwick Cowan on October 16, 1929 in Dallas, Texas. He was raised in Texas and upstate New York. He made his home in Houston, Galveston and finally Dickinson in 1978.

He married the love of his life, Juliet Delcambre, in 1952 and from that union was blessed with six children.

Finis was preceded in death by his parents; son, Lionel Cowan; sister, Reverend Dr. Alice Cowan and grandson, Brandon Dudley.

Finis led a long life filled with extraordinary achievements and cherished memories. He leaves a living legacy of five generations; his beloved wife of 71 happy years, Juliet Cowan; daughters, Eleanor (Gary) Brown, Kathleen (Stewart) Shanfield and Virginia Cowan; sons, Finis E.(Lori) Cowan III, Tom (Allison) Cowan; grandchildren, Luke Manion, Julianna (Danny) Terry, Christina Cody, Deena (Billy) Kochvar, Nick (Alena) Brown, Matt (Natalie) Shanfield. Sarah Shanfield, Rebecca Shanfield, Rosemary (Ben) Cubbage, Grace (Preston) Padua and William (Gabriel) Cowan great-grandchildren, Dylan (Haley) Cody, Phoebe Cubbage, Bear Cubbage, Claire Shanfield, Emma Shanfield, Wyatt Shanfield, Evelyn Padua, Hayden Brown, Landon Brown, Ethan Brown, Sierra Kochvar, Nevada Kochvar, Riley Terry, and Zoe Terry; great-great grandchild, Naomi Bertolino-Cody as well as numerous friends and colleagues.

Finis graduated with honors from Rice University. He served as a lieutenant in the US Marines from 1951-54. In 1955 he received his law degree with honors from University of Texas Law School in Austin and joined the Houston law firm of Baker and Botts where he practiced law until he retired in the 1990’s. Finis tried well over 100 jury trials against legendary Texas trial lawyers.  During 1977-79 he served as US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. He also practiced with his son Finis III and the firm of Yetter & Warden.

A devoted convert to the Catholic Church, Finis, was appointed by Pope John Paul II to be a knight of the Holy Order of the Sepulchre. He and wife Julie were avid parishioners and volunteers at Shrine of the True Cross Church. They enjoyed teaching bible studies for 30 years and facilitated youth sacrament preparation. They also founded a chapter of St. Vincent de Paul in their church to serve the needy. Finis brought his faith to the Harris County jail as a volunteer chaplain.

Those who knew and loved Finis would describe him as a man of unyielding integrity, generosity and remarkable humility. He was devoted to his faith, his family and his work. He leaves us to cherish many fond memories of watching him run marathons, teaching the grandkids how to ride horses and enjoying hiking in the mountains.

Visitation with the family will be held at Shrine of The True Cross Catholic Church, Monday, November 27, 2023, from 5 – 8 pm with a rosary at 6:30 pm. The Rite of Christian burial mass will be held Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 10:30 am at Shrine of the True Cross Church, 300 FM 517 E., Dickinson, TX. Internment will follow at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Pallbearers serving will be Finis Cowan III, Tom Cowan, Luke Manion, Matt Shanfield, Dylan Cody, and Nick Brown.

We wish to give special thanks to Finis’ dedicated and loving caregivers. As a memorial to his memory, contributions may be sent in Finis’ name to St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) through Shrine of the True Cross Church, PO Box 687, Dickinson, TX 77539 in lieu of flowers.