Celebrating 100 years 

Megan Suitor 
 
A special celebration is coming up for longtime Redwater resident Robert Cowen, who will be
turning 100 years old on August 20. Having lived in Redwater for over 35 years, the Eckville
native has plenty of stories to share. 
 
Having served in the Canadian Air Force in the early 1940s, Cowen returned to school. 
 
“I finished school and needed a job,” he shared. “I walked up the street in Calgary, and Imperial
Oil was hiring.” 
 
Cowen ended up working with Imperial Oil through his retirement in 1987. He worked in BC,
Alberta and Saskatchewan, starting gas plants, working as a foreman, and even going on
geological surveys. 
 
“I was out in the bush doing geological surveys for most of three years,” Cowen explained. “Two
of us would go on the surveys and paddle up and down the rivers and barely see anyone.” 
 
He shared a story about being on one such survey, where the pair lost their canoe and ended
up having to walk out before they were found. 
 
Robert married his wife Marie in 1955, and together they raised four boys and a girl, all of who
continue to live in the Redwater area. Their family also now includes five grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.