Our beloved Michael died yesterday. He gave it all he had, but he just couldn’t fight this last assault against his lung and kidneys. 

As I wrote before, the biggest gift Kathleen, Eileen and I received was being allowed to be with Mike at the hospital on Saturday. He knew we were there, he squeezed our hands in response to our ‘I love you, Mike’, ‘I love you Dad.’ That was not possible yesterday.

The nurses, the staff were compassionate and caring. Mike’s kidney specialist was even waiting for us in the unit when we arrived at the hospital. It was so kind of her to go out of her way to be there. 

We had the Chaplain come to say a prayer with us. He was thoughtful and did not rush, said just the right words. We all felt better. We even shared some laughs. 

There is no getting around the sadness we felt at his bedside. There were lots of tears. Kathleen, Eileen and I gave Mike many hugs and kisses. I even sang to him...and let’s just say, he wasn’t usually as enthralled with my singing as much as I would have liked. 

The day Mike Cowan walked into my parents’ grocery store in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, was the luckiest day of my life. He initially told me that he would never take me out. Eventually, he did ask me out. We’ve been together 53 years - 49 of them happily married. No girl could ask for more. Mike was terrific in every way. The very best husband. The. Best.

You all know that Mike was smart, kind, generous, caring...he loved to laugh. He treated everyone the way he liked to be treated. He calmed nervous patients, he bounced crying babies in his arms in his dental office. If a Mom needed a dental appointment with Mike, and had no baby sitter, we found a way to accommodate that. He’d let children ‘help’ him while he worked. That ‘help’ slowed him down a bit, but he truly loved doing it. 

He loved people, of every age. His patients became friends. He would discuss books, cars, watches, far off vacation destinations, school, food, wood-working, fly tying, jobs, relatives, you name it, he was interested. We were invited to his patients’ weddings, their parties. He was friendly and approachable...he even did dental consultations when he was previously hospitalized. 

Most of all, he loved his family. He was a devoted son, great older brother, uncle, nephew, cousin extraordinaire. More than anything, he loved his own little family - me, Kathleen, and Eileen. We came first ahead of himself. He had wanted daughters. He was their warm, cuddly, ever helpful Dad. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. He was extraordinarily proud of their accomplishments. What a joyful father he was, walking Kathleen and Eileen down the aisle to Dan and Brandon. These last three years, he was thoroughly smitten with our little Grace. She was the best medicine for him, better than any pill. Even in the emergency room last week, gasping for air, somewhat medicated and confused, he asked me who was taking care of Grace. He watched over us all until the end. 

We are disappointed Mike couldn’t have had many more years with us. We are sorry this pandemic won’t allow a proper gathering to honor Mike now. At present,  we will focus on how lucky we were to have had him as long as we did, and how his lung transplant extended his life to allow him to reach family milestones that meant so much to him. He was so happy to visit with family and friends at Eileen’s wedding in March. What a joyful day that was. We will miss our dearest Mike. 

Thank you all for caring about Mike and keeping in touch. Wishing you all the very best.

Sharlyn