Paul Cowan, 86, died Sept. 23, 2026 at his home in Trevett. 

Paul was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and grew up in Reading, lucky enough to keep ducks as pets in his childhood – a fact that never escaped his daughter’s memory and bargaining tactics. Early on, he developed interests in all things with engines, perhaps inspired by his father’s role in the B&M Railway, and quickly took up both cars and mechanical drawing as hobbies.

Paul graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology and began his career in aircraft engine development with United Aircraft. He later returned to the State University of New York, where he earned a degree in industrial arts and then, befitting the overall mood of the 1960s, pursued a short stint as a school bus driver. Paul’s driving skills and love of automobiles did not stop there. He took up racing vintage sports cars – beginning with a Bugeye Sprite and, 40 years later, ending with the one-of-a-kind 1965 Moodini. All of his racing cars carried the number 24, his wedding day.

Another of Paul’s early hobbies, inspired by that early proximity to the Atlantic coast, was scuba diving, for which he both damaged his eardrum and caught a 12-pound lobster – the claw of which remains a prized trophy at the Cowan house. Once scuba diving was out of the picture, Paul took up the next best thing: sailing. By this time, he had joined Ford Motor Company in Washington, D.C. – and through fellow sailors, had the good fortune to meet his future wife, Louise Hall. Paul’s work with Ford took them – by then married – to the New York District office and then to Ford’s world headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, where they would spend 30 years – raising one child and four dogs along the way. Over his career, he held a range of positions at Ford, including manager of labor time standards and national fleet service manager. He concluded his professional life working in alternate fuel vehicle development.

Naturally, Paul had also taken up hockey as a kid – for which he lost two front teeth and gained a college scholarship. He played, then coached, hockey for over 30 years, finding many friends through the sport. His sporting life continued to expand as a coach for his daughter’s recreational soccer teams and later, after the move to Maine, as a kayaker, walker, candlepin bowler, and, most passionately, a golfer. Indeed, Paul might have said that a life well lived was 9 holes at Sheepscot Links with the guys followed by lunch with a dark beer. Maine life also brought boats back into Paul’s life – in the form of a converted lobster boat, one of the treasures of his later years.

Paul gave his time generously. He was a volunteer at The Henry Ford (Dearborn, Michigan) and most recently at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Region Land Trust. He served on the boards of the Boothbay Region YMCA, the Barters Island Community Association, and the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor. Indeed, his love of music spanned nearly every genre over his lifetime, and it was a hard and painful loss when his original Led Zeppelin vinyl that he loaned to the neighbor’s son never came back. He was a great fan of a range of singer-songwriters, folk artists, and classical guitar and thus found a paradise – and many friends – in the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor.

Paul is survived by his wife, Louise, of Trevett and his daughter, Carrie, of Vienna, Austria. He was immensely proud of both of them. He will be remembered by his close family: his niece, Martha, of Bristol, New Hampshire, and the family of his sister- and brother-in-law, Robin and Robert, of Trevett, Maine.

For those wishing to remember Paul’s life with a gesture, the family suggests donations to socially-minded local charities or the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor. A gathering to honor Paul will be held at a later date.