Obituary for Wisconsin Brown Swiss Breeder David Cowles - Cowsmo

Obituary for Wisconsin Brown Swiss Breeder David Cowles

Everyone at Cowsmopolitan sends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Wisconsin Brown Swiss breeder David Cowles of Roberts, WI, who passed away January 17th.
Obituary for Wisconsin Brown Swiss Breeder David CowlesDavid Wesley Cowles, Sr., age 55, of Roberts, died Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at his home farm.

David was born on May 15, 1961 in Hudson to Wesley and Doris (Topping) Cowles. He grew up on the family dairy farm in Roberts, and graduated from St. Croix Central High School in 1979. After graduating, he continued to work on the family farm and attended the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. David was united in marriage to Cheryl Doornink on April 5, 1986 at the First Reformed Church in Baldwin. The couple was blessed with two children, David Jr., and Jillian.

Living out his lifelong passion for, and commitment to, farming, David joined his brother Al in taking over the family farm after the death of their father in 1988. Later, David bought out his brother and began operating Dorwes Farms, raising and showing Brown Swiss dairy cattle.

David was a loving husband and devoted father who adored his grandsons. He loved spending time with family and friends. If he wasn’t in the barn milking the cows or out in the fields, he was busy cheering on the Green Bay Packers.

David worked hard to provide for his family and was always very giving of his time and resources to others in need of help. He cherished the opportunity to teach others about dairy farming and served as a St. Croix County 4-H leader for 35 years and a Roberts Ribbon Reapers 4-H Club Dairy leader for 30 years. He received the St. Croix County Dairy service award in 2016. David enjoyed working behind the scenes with the St. Croix County Mayfair, raising funds to build new barns for the St. Croix County Fair. He was recognized for his efforts with the 2016 Friend of the Fair Award. He was involved in and passionate about helping the Brown Swiss Juniors, UWRF Dairy Club and the St. Croix Central FFA. He served on the Warren Town Board for the past 10 years, and was a member of the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association of 15 years and was recently awarded a 2016 Brown Swiss Service Award. In short, David was a humble and quiet man — but his actions and their impact on others’ lives were a resounding testament to his kindness, caring, and loving nature.

David will remain in the hearts of his wife of 30 years, Cheryl; children, David Jr. “DJ” (Cassie), and Jillian (Taylor) Bonow; grandsons, Charlie and Mason; siblings, Linda Cowles, Patti (Brent) Robertson, Al Cowles, and Melissa Hughes; parents-in-law, LeRoy and Joyce Doornink; siblings-in-law, Crystal (Marc) Hammer and Cary (Joe) Kern; many nieces and nephews; and #1 cow, Fiesta. He is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Kathleen Cowles; sister-in-law, Carolyn Cowles; and grandparents, Gordan and Arlene Topping, and Alfred and Edith Cowles.

Memorial service for David Cowles will be 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 28 at the Roberts Congregational United Church of Christ, 1001 Birch Drive, Roberts. A gathering of family and friends will be held from 12:00-3:00 p.m. at the church prior to the service. In celebration of David’s life, please leave your dress clothes at home and join us in wearing plaid shirts and blue jeans. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to be used towards a bench in his honor.

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