Obituary
MACGOWAN, Kenneth Owen
April 14, 2016
Born in New Westminster, BC on September 11, 1921, Ken was the eldest son of Gertrude Augusta (Rand) and Keith Campbell Macgowan, MC 2 Bars. He attended Herbert Spencer School, Duke of Connaught High School and the University of British Columbia (B.Comm. 1946). In 1942, he interrupted his studies at UBC to join the RCAF and spent three years as a navigator and observer on Coastal Command with the 161st Squadron. While stationed on Canada's Atlantic Coast with the RCAF Eastern Air Command, Ken flew many missions over the Atlantic Ocean. He also met his future wife, Audrey Churchill, at the Officers Mess in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Ken would often acknowledge with pride that Audrey outranked him in the Air Force, although he was less quick to recognize her as a more-decorated veteran than he, noting that Audrey was awarded the coveted Overseas Service Medal because her first RCAF assignment was in Newfoundland. After the war Ken returned to UBC, graduated and joined William M. Mercer Limited in 1946 as its fourth employee (now known simply as Mercer, the firm has 22,000 employees working with clients in 140 markets around the world). That same year he married Audrey in Montreal. For most of the next 20 years Ken worked in Vancouver and he and Audrey lived and raised their four children in New Westminster. During this period Ken was active in the New Westminster community, volunteering as Chairman of the 513 Air Cadet Squadron, Chairman of the New Westminster Public Library Board, a Member of the New Westminster Redevelopment Committee, and President of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1969, Ken was appointed President of William M. Mercer Ltd. and moved, reluctantly, to the head office in Toronto. However, by the time he retired from the firm in 1979 he and Audrey had decided to stay in Toronto indefinitely. While in Toronto Ken became involved in the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, serving as its President from 1977 to 1979. Audrey had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1967, and both she and Ken were active in the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies (IFMSS) throughout the 1980's. In 1999, Ken and Audrey moved into the Bradgate Arms Retirement Residence in Toronto, where Ken served as President of the Residents Advisory Council for several years. Following Audrey's death in 2008, Ken returned to the West Coast to be closer to his children and siblings and spent the last six years living at the Langley Gardens Retirement Community in Langley, BC. He is survived by four children, John (Judith), Trish (Whit), Peter (Linda), and Colleen, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, all of whom will miss his wit and wisdom. In accordance with his wishes, cremation will take place and a private memorial will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the MS Society of Canada or a charity of your choice would be much appreciated.
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1921 - 2016 (94 years)
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