Harold Andrews Cowles – July 12, 2024

Celebrating the Life of Harold Andrews Cowles

Harold Andrews Cowles Jr. passed away July 12, 2024, in Colorado Springs at the age of 100! A small gathering will be held with close family members on July 28 to celebrate his remarkable life.

Harold, also known as Junior and Hal, was an only child born April 12^th, 1924, to Harold Andrews Sr. and Ruth Cowles in Flandreau, SD. They lived in Chicago through kindergarten, then moved to Lake Mills, IA where Hal graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1942 as Salutatorian. 

Hal had his own pony and chickens in Lake Mills. He played sax, and played several sports. He helped at his parent’s café The Pantry after school, and was selected for Boys’ State, a hands-on civics leadership experience in government.

Hal and Ruth followed Harold Senior to Detroit and Pennsylvania after Hal’s graduation. He enrolled in Chemical Engineering at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, but the war came calling after only two quarters.

Hal enlisted in the army in April 1943 and was assigned to 11^th Armored Division – 55^th Armored Infantry Battalion. He landed in Cherbourg, France, the day after The Battle of the Bulge began. He joined Patton’s Third Army, something Hal was very proud of. 

Hal returned home after three years and enrolled at Iowa State College in Ames, IA where he earned his Bachelors and Masters in Chemical Engineering, then his PhD in Engineering Valuation. He remained at Iowa State 41 years teaching Industrial Engineering. He received both Outstanding Teacher and Distinguished Professor Awards.

Hal met Susan Mary Miller on a blind date at ISU. They married 71 years ago in 1953, and stayed in Ames where they raised their family. They retired in 1990 to Sun Lakes, AZ, and then moved to Colorado Springs, CO in 2014. 

Hal was active in the United Methodist Church and Rotary; he served on the ISU Athletic Council, was a faculty advisor to VEISHA, and he consulted to public utilities and railroads. He loved golf, travel, time at the family cabin in Winter Park, and was a fan of the Chicago Cubs, ISU sports, and the Colorado Rockies.

Hal is survived by his loving wife, Susan, of Colorado Springs, son Steven and wife Tandy, his daughter Linda and husband Scott, both of Woodland Park, CO, and his son Douglas and wife Leah of Colorado Springs, CO, and his grandchildren Kristin, Jay, Evan, Alana, Corban, Jonathan, and Daniel, and his great-grandchildren Sydney, Kallen, Amelia, and Gabriel.

Memorials may be directed to Iowa State University Foundation|Give.