James Chalmers Cowan Jr., age 82, died November 1, 2016 after a long struggle with Alzheimer ’s disease. He was born May 21, 1934 and was a fourth generation Nashvillian. He is survived by his loving wife of 20 years, Connie, as well as his sister Peggy Omohundro (John), sons, Jamie and Matt Cowan (Cile), step-children Karen Pope (Wayne), Kathy Conkwright and Michael Conkwright (McKinsey), 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Jimmy is preceded in death by his parents, Chalmers and Grace Cowan, his sister, Jean Cummings, ex-wife Shirley Tritschler Skinner and wife, Brenda Reed Cowan. Jimmy graduated from Hillsboro High School. “Mutt” was an all-state football player at Hillsboro and went on to play at SMU. He later transferred to and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in transportation. Jimmy went on to be a lifelong Vol, supporting the athletic programs and serving on the athletic board. He had a successful career in the trucking industry spanning over 60 years. After working for Dixie and Ryder Transportation, he started his own company Luby-Cowan, which soon became Wilco Leasing. He and his business partners then formed General Transportation Company, which became a large publicly traded leader in the industry. He ended his career with a successful 20 year run with Neely Coble Company of Nashville. Jimmy enjoyed people and loved making deals. He and his many life-long friends lived life fully. He was a natural salesman in the best sense and loved his work. He had a generous heart and never met a stranger. Jimmy was a man of faith and a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The family would like to give special thanks to the nurses and caretakers at Southerland Place and Adoration Hospice. Donations in his memory may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 4825 Trousdale Drive, Suite 220 – Nashville, TN 37220, Adoration Hospice Foundation, 545 Mainstream Drive, Suite 413 – Nashville, TN 37228 or the charity of your choice. Visitation will be held Thursday November 3rd from four o’clock until seven o’clock, and one hour prior to the service on Friday at Woodlawn Roesch-Patton Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane. Reverend James Bachmann will lead a funeral service at eleven thirty on Friday November 4, 2016 in Woodlawn’s Dignity Hall.
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