John Cowles
John Olmsted Cowles of Lincoln passed away in his sleep at age 88 on July 22, 2022. He is survived by his wife Diana and his sister Andra Raitch of Indialantic, Fla. He is also survived by his son Stephen of Durham, N.C.; son Christopher and his wife Lisa of Roswell, Ga.; and daughter Kristen and her husband Kenneth Kuhl of Montclair, N.J. The grandchildren are Katherine, Rebecca and Jonathan Cowles and Alexandra and Annika Kuhl.
John, the son of Addison and Alexandra Cowles, grew up in Lincoln and graduated from Weston High School. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from MIT, where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi academic fraternity before earning a doctorate from the University of Michigan.
After finishing his studies, John worked for ten years in chemical and nuclear engineering research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Ca. As gas lines became longer in 1972, John was asked to go to Washington, D.C., to be part of a White House Presidential Committee made up of one representative from each of the national laboratories. The committee was charged with finding alternative energy technologies. In the years that followed, as the Atomic Energy Commission evolved into the Department of Energy, John worked for several private companies that were consultants to the Department of Energy. His final position was serving as the chief engineer for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository.
Upon retirement in 1999, John and Diana returned to John’s family home in Lincoln where he became a volunteer for the Lincoln Council on Aging and the Lincoln Historical Society. John also was active with the MIT alumni community, first serving as reunion chair for the MIT Class of 1956’s 60th reunion and then as class president for the following five years. His service to others and quick sense of humor endeared him to all those around him.
Family together with friends will gather to remember John on Sunday, August 28 at 1 p.m. in Flint Hall at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln. Burial will be private for family members at Lincoln Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging or the Lincoln Historical Society.
Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in his online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.
I have living and working in lincoln for almost 9 years.i have met many people but John was a special man. I always enjoyed talking with him. His voice was always full of wisdom but most importantly he was so nice to me..John will be missed, thank you John.