James J Cowan III

Jim was the second-born of nine children of James Jackson Cowan Jr. and Virginia Smith Cowan. He was born in Pensacola, FL and raised in Tuscaloosa, AL. He dated Martha Evans while in high school, but the two lost touch when Jim joined the Air Force. Fortunately, their paths crossed again after he left the service and he moved to Birmingham. Jim and Martha were married three months after their reunion, and celebrated 52 years of marriage in October 2020.

While in the Air Force, Jim served in places as far-flung as Libya, Germany, and the Central Pacific. He developed formidable skills in electronics and became an avid golfer during these years. He carried his skills in electronics to his career at Mosler Safe Company, where he installed and serviced bank security equipment. His love for the game of golf persisted too, though that mainly manifested in later years in a vast collection of golf balls (gathered on walks around local courses) and an impressive ability to actually watch golf tournaments on television (without falling asleep).

Jim and Martha had two children, Jennifer and James Jackson IV (Jay). He was a devoted father. He ate dinner with his family every night. He attended every baseball game, dance recital, choral performance, school play, and graduation. He took his children to exciting places like Krispy Kreme, the trampoline park, and the Jack Daniel’s distillery, and taught them the fine art of not being afraid to take something apart- whether to fix it, or to understand how it worked.

Buddy maintained close ties with his eight siblings and was beloved by numerous nieces and nephews. He was often the one playing basketball with the kids, or laughing it up loudly with his brothers and brothers-in-law at family reunions. He loved his extended family and in recent years enjoyed a monthly restaurant dinner with his siblings.

Jim was a tinkerer who delighted in home projects and improvements. He kept a workshop in the basement of the modest home he and Martha lived in for over 50 years and rarely encountered a project he couldn’t succeed at. He replaced a main plumbing line, built bookcases and bunk beds, installed a central vacuum line, and poured a level concrete floor over the dirt floor in the basement. All this was in addition to growing bumper crops of perfect Big Boy tomatoes summer after summer.

Jim is preceded in death by his wife Martha, his brother Donald Cowan, and his sister Jackie Waters. He is survived by his daughter Jennifer Cowan; son James (Jay) Jackson Cowan IV; son-in-law Steven Reece; stepson David Martindale; stepdaughter Debbye Scott; sisters Barbara Strickland, Patsy (Jimmy) Osborn, Mary Atkinson, Judy Graves, and Lynda (Rick) Taylor; brother Tommy (Carla) Cowan; grandchildren Aidan Walb, Linnea Reece, and Phoebe Reece; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He will be remembered at a 2 p.m. service Sunday, Mar. 21, at Johns-Ridout Mortuary-Elmwood Chapel, 800 Dennison Ave. SW, in Birmingham, with visitation at 1 p.m. A graveside service will follow at Forest Crest Cemetery in Irondale.