Dennis E. McCowan ’68 died on September 19, 2025, in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.
(The following was provided by Carr Funeral Home in September 19, 2025:)
Dennis E. McCowan ’68
Born to Florence and Gerald McCowan in Westchester, Pennsylvania, Dennis Evan McCowan passed away peacefully at his beloved home in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, on September 19, 2025, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s Dementia.
An Eagle Scout, avid hiker and music lover, Dennis graduated from Bowdoin College and received his master’s degree in education from Harvard. He met his future wife, Paula, while teaching in Weston, and they married in June of 1970. After completing basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Dennis was moved to the Army Reserves, due to a surplus of second lieutenants. He returned to teaching at Weston High School in 1971, where he continued to teach until Parkinson’s forced his decision to retire in the spring of 2012, after forty-three years at Weston High School.
Known as a passionate, creative, and visionary educator and a beloved teacher, Dennis was always eager to help his students learn the big picture. He was willing to give his students as much time and as many methods as needed to master the material and gain understanding. Dennis remained a curious student himself his whole life. At Weston, he ran the early computer lab and taught AP computer science and all levels of math, as well as chairing the Weston math department and serving as president of the Teachers Union. In the spring of 1997, Dennis traveled to Washington, DC, to be awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In addition to his teaching duties, Dennis also coached the math team, acted as a class advisor, and helped the Outdoor Club plan backpacking trips.
During the summers, Dennis enjoyed balancing work and play. He graded AP computer science exams at Clemson University, designed math textbook curricula at Boston University, and advised local private schools on their math curricula. Dennis took his family to coastal vacations across New England, and he loved taking Paula to Nantucket for their wedding anniversary. Dennis adored surprising her with romantic jewelry gifts which miraculously arrived at their dinner table.
His sense of civic duty extended to his local community in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, where he and Paula volunteered to count votes and help in the local elections. Dennis served on the Northbridge School Committee, and on the School Building Committees for the high school and primary school. Whitinsville became Dennis and Paula’s adopted home after discovering their dream house in 1978, a 1790 colonial.
Dennis relished maintaining the home and grounds with Paula. On weekends he packed in yardwork, reading a few chapters of a mystery, a presidential biography, and a recreational math book while having a refreshing drink and listening to all varieties of music on his porch. He also spent time playing games with his family, grading papers, writing recommendations, often with one of his many fountain pens, and preparing for the next week’s classes. He LOVED telling jokes and dressing up with Paula for a good social occasion. Their annual holiday party was worthy of a magazine: with handmade garlands and wreaths, fires burning in multiple fireplaces, and his legendary “with” and “without” punch. Caroling would gleefully be led by Dennis while friends and family all gathered around a table filled with Paula’s stunning desserts.
Dennis is survived by Paula, his wife of fifty-five years; his daughter, Ann-Noelle, and son-in-law, Tim Harvey; his son, James, daughter-in-law, Heidi and his two grandchildren, Cole and Juniper. Both Dennis’s children followed their father, and Dennis’s mother’s career path, and are third-generation educators.
Dennis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008. Paula assumed the role of faithful caregiver at their home for the last decade of his life, and was assisted by the dedicated Coleen Leighton for the last six years.
For his family and those who knew him, Dennis will be remembered for his endless patience, creative mind, sense of humor, ability to see the best in everyone, and for his dedication and love for his family.