Peter Greig Cowie

Peacefully, on April 30, 2021 Peter left on his journey to the “undiscovered country”.

He will be warmly remembered and missed by his wife Dorothy; sons Geoff and David; grandchildren Gabriel and Nina and many other family members, friends and former students. He was predeceased by his parents, Victor and Helen (Speirs) Cowie and brother, Victor.

Born in Winnipeg in 1936, Peter had a rich full life marked by family, good friends, travel, intellectual curiosity and athleticism. As a husband and father, he built a supportive environment which encouraged thought, exploration and a principled life. As a teacher Peter had a profound impact upon the lives of many of his students. His teaching career was long and varied with many years spent as an English teacher at Dakota Collegiate. His teaching also took him to Germany for several years in the 1970s where he taught with the Canadian Armed Forces. He also taught for many summers throughout the Caribbean with the Organization for Cooperation in Overseas Development and, in his later years, in adult education with Upward Bound.

Peter was a familiar sight in the neighbourhood jogging down the Oakenwald dike or skating at the Fort Garry and Wildwood community clubs. He was genuinely interested in people from all walks of life and those he met would often be peppered with questions from his curious mind. He was renowned for his eloquence and could always be counted on to reference an apt piece of poetry or literature. Peter had a deep love for both, particularly Shakespeare. He was an active member of a long-standing book club with whom he shared his passion for the written word.

Peter intensely enjoyed sports; baseball, curling, golf and particularly hockey. As a young man he played with the University of Manitoba Bisons and in later years with the Wildwood Oldtimers and the Winnipeg Jest hockey club. He loved the time spent with his Jest teammates especially the several trips with the team to play in Europe. Well into his late-seventies Peter was still finetuning his backwards skating and stickhandling skills. He was a long-suffering fan of the Winnipeg Jets and would pick out the smallest details of the game that everybody else missed. In his years as a hockey coach, he always instilled the core values of fair play and sportsmanship into his players.

An adventurous spirit led to much travel and exploration throughout his life. He had a love of history and was particularly interested in the story of his family. At age seventy, Peter and his son Geoff canoed from Oxford House to York Factory where he visited the grave of his ancestor, HBC Chief Factor William Sinclair. Later in the trip, drawn by his insatiable curiosity, Peter wandered into the willows along the shoreline of Hudson Bay and had a memorable encounter with a polar bear.

Peter was an astute observer of all things and had a very good sense of humour. He very much enjoyed conversation with friends and having a drink on the deck after a round of golf. His last years fighting illness revealed his quiet dignity and deep courage. A celebration of Peter’s life will be held at a later date.

A special thanks to all the staff at Riverview Health Centre 3West who provided Peter with exceptional care and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Parkinson Canada.