Elaine Gamble Cowen, beloved mother, grandmother
Elaine Gamble Cowan, 86, died peacefully Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, after a long illness at ChristianaCare.
Elaine was born in 1939 in Chester, Pa., to William Gamble and Jewel Grehawick Gamble. Soon afterward, she moved with her family “to the country” off Naamans Road in Brandywine Hundred. She often reminisced about a childhood in north Wilmington when the area was filled with farms and open space. Elaine was a proud 1956 graduate of Alexis I. duPont High School.
Elaine raised her family first in DelPark Manor off Kirkwood Highway and later relocated to Clayton in 1975. While raising her young family, she worked full time in the accounting department at Southern States Cooperative.
In 1979, Elaine realized her dream of returning to college. She graduated from Delaware Technical Community College and later from Delaware State University in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
She returned to the business world, first working for Independent Newspapers Inc., the parent company of Delaware State News. She spent the final 21 years of her professional career at PNC Global Investment Servicing, retiring in 2007.
Elaine enjoyed her retirement traveling extensively and socializing with the “Second Floor Ladies” at Fountain View Condominiums in Newark. She spent her final years at Meadow Crest Assisted Living in Middletown. Elaine’s family would like to thank the staff at Meadow Crest for their excellent care; her final years were greatly enriched by the compassion of the staff and the friendships she formed with fellow residents.
Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, William J. Gamble and Jewel Grehawick Gamble; her brother, William J. Gamble Jr.; and her son, Kenneth W. Cowan. She is survived by her sons, Kevin P. Cowan (Tami) of Wilmington, N.C., and Paul T. Cowan Jr. (Cheryl) of Lewes; and her grandchildren, Scott Cowan of Wilmington, N.C., Mark Cowan (Autumn) of Crestview, Fla., Greg Cowan (Ariana) of Seattle, Wash., and Claire Cowan of Waltham, Mass. Elaine is also survived by her best friend of more than 60 years, Patricia Wolfe of Newark.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday March 11, at Matthews-Bryson Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 123 W. Commerce St. Smyrna, with visitation at 10 a.m. Burial will be privately held at All Saints’ Cemetery, Wilmington.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Beebe Medical Foundation, 902 Savannah Road, Lewes, DE 19958.
To leave a condolence, visit matthewsbryson.com.
Arrangements are by Matthews Bryson Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Smyrna.
