REGINA MARY COWAN OLD TOWN and RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Regina Mary Cowan, 88, died peacefully May 6, 2004, at Maine Veterans Home in Bangor. She was born July 21, 1915, in Old Town, a daughter of John and Amy (St. Peter) Bouchard. She was an accomplished pianist and often made reference to “playing for dances” when she was eight years old with her brother, Benoit, and father, John. She graduated from Old Town High School and St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Lewiston. During World War II, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corp and was stationed in Daytona Beach, Fla., where she met and married paratrooper Rocco Famiglietti. During their marriage they split time between Maine and New York, eventually settling on Long Island. After Rocco died when she was 47, she took on the responsibility of caring for her four daughters single handedly while working as a nurse and piano teacher. She was always extremely active in Senior Citizens Clubs and was elected president on three separate occasions. For several years she wrote, directed, and was sole pianist for at least a dozen musical productions for various senior citizens shows. In 1987 she was bestowed the honor of the Township of Riverhead Senior Citizen of the year. Upon her marriage to Charles Cowan in 1995, she moved back to Old Town. Our mother is always with us… She is the whisper of the leaves as we walk down the street. She’s the smell of fresh baked bread. She was the cool hand on our brow when we were not well And the keeper of the almighty jar of Vick’s. She is every song in our heart, And every note on a piano. Our mother lives inside our laughter. She crystallized in every teardrop… She’s the place we came from, our first home. She is the face in our mirrors, and the hands in our pockets… She’s our first love and our first heartbreak… And nothing on Earth can separate us. Not time, Not space… Not even death… -With all our love- your four daughters She is survived by her husband, Charles Cowan of Old Town; four daughters, Rose Grattan and June Giuliani, both of Southold, N.Y., and Amy Albrecht and Mary Mott both, of Cutchogue; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren; two brothers, Benoit Bouchard and John Bouchard; and a sister, Olivia Smith; two stepsons, James Cowan and C. Edward Cowan; several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Roderick and Emmanuel Bouchard; a sister, Evangeline Cowan; and a stepson, John Cowan. Friends may call 7-9 p.m. Friday at the Birmingham Funeral Home, 438 Main St., Old Town. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 9 a.m. Saturday at Holy Family Parish with the Rev. Normand Richard, celebrant. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Orono. Memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Family Parish building Fund 429 Main St., Old Town, ME 04468.
REGINA MARY COWAN
