Obituaries : Sharon L. Cowden

Sharon L. Cowden, age 78, of Keystone, passed away Monday, March 27, 2023 at the Keystone Care Center, Keystone, Iowa. Funeral service: 2:00 p.m., Sunday, April 2, 2023, at Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, with Pastor Mike Stombaugh officiating. Visitation: 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Sunday, April 2, 2023, at Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo. A memorial fund has been established to donate to hospice care. Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Sharon is survived by her two children, Michael (Erin) Cowden, of Austin, TX, and Kathleen Holmes, of Belle Plaine; six grandchildren, Conner, Evan and Tristan Cowden, of Austin, TX, James (Naomi) Cowden and Scott (Wendy) Bowles, of Killeen, TX, and Jessica (Chris) Cooke, of Amana, IA; four great-grandchildren, Gabrielle and Shelby Cowden, of Killeen, TX, and Ryan and Bryan Cooke, of Amana, IA; and a sister Karen (Bud) Patterson, of Washington, PA. She is also survived by nieces Shannon, Julia, Joan, Susan, Janice, Barbara and nephews Matthew, Brian and Timothy. She was preceded in death by her parents, her son Frank Cowden, her daughter Christine Cowden, her sister Sandra Duvall and a son-in-law Howard Holmes.

Sharon was born May 5, 1944, in Wheeling, WV. She is the daughter of Milton and Caroline (Knuth) Montgomery. Sharon obtained her nursing license in West Virginia. Shortly thereafter, she decided to move to a warmer climate in Killeen, TX. Sharon worked as a Cardiac Care and Intensive Care nurse for 35 years at Darnell Army Hospital at Fort Hood. Later in life, she moved again to reside with her daughter Kathy and her husband Howard, in Iowa.

Throughout the years Sharon enjoyed spending her free time being outdoors and caring for her many horses, dogs, and cats. Sharon planted and nurtured many trees, plants and rose bushes all over the 20 acres in Texas where she spent most of her life, and where her favorite horse, Smokey, is buried in the pasture field. Sharon never turned away a person or animal in need. Most of all, Sharon loved spending time with her family.