Obituary of James E. Cowley

James E. Cowley, age 91, of Trumbull, beloved husband of Gail O'Connor Cowley, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Cape Cod, with Gail by his side. Born on December 28, 1934, in Stamford, CT, he was the son of the late George and Anne Meno Cowley, and was predeceased by his brother, Robert Cowley. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Jim served his country proudly at the North Truro Air Force Station on Cape Cod, where he forged a lifelong friendship with his buddy Jimmy Byrnes. He went on to build a long career in the consumer products industry, working for Clairol and later Bristol Myers in New York before finishing where he started, in Stamford. He took real pride in his work and in the friendships he made along the way. Easygoing and always ready with a good story, Jim was, above all, a man who showed up for the people he loved. His pleasures were simple and genuine: running, skiing, watching the market, quiet hours walking at Twin Brooks Park, and, over the years, computers and photography — the pictures around the family home a testament to the eye he developed. Jim passed away peacefully on the Cape after 64 years of marriage to Gail. He spent the last months surrounded by family and friends, and was lovingly cared for by his caregivers, Donya, Julie, and Betty. In addition to his beloved wife Gail, Jim is survived by his two children, Sharon Cowley and Steven Cowley and his wife Amy; and four cherished grandchildren, Dylan Cowley and his wife Hannah, and Hannah, Ben, and Caroline Cowley. His extended family includes his nieces and nephews Robert Cowley and his family in Arizona, Candace Levine and her family in Fairfield, CT, Brian Cowley and his family in New Mexico, and Susan Cowley and her family in New Canaan, CT. He also leaves his brothers- and sisters-in-law: John O'Connor and his son John JR. and his wife Ashley and grandchildren Jack, Michael, Isabella and Avery; Arlene Fanali and her children Sabrina and Mia and her husband Gene; and Lynn Mones and her husband Wayne and their children Megan Tomachick and her husband Marty, Matthew and his wife Lea, and Mark Mones, along with Jim's great-nieces and nephews and pure joy: Leo Tomachick, and Miller, Lola, and Myla Mones. Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Tuesday, May 12, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Abriola Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, CT 06611. Interment will follow at St. John Cemetery, 25 Camp Avenue, Darien, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Jim's name may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online at stjude.org. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Abriola Funeral Home.