Dates
Benjamin "Benny" Cowan, 85, passed away Saturday, July 25, 2026, in San Angelo.
Public viewing will be from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM Friday, July 31, 2026, at Robert Massie Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be at 10:00 AM Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Robert Massie Riverside Chapel with Mr. Brandon Slater, pastor of Green Meadow Church of Christ, officiating. Burial will follow at Fairmount Cemetery under the direction of Robert Massie Funeral Home.
Mr. Benny Cowan was born on July 7, 1941, in El Paso. He married Colene Smith on December 22, 1962, in El Paso, and together they shared more than 62 years of marriage before she preceded him in death on May 11, 2025. He affectionally called Colene “his first wife” to anyone he met.
Benny spent most of his life in West Texas. After living for many years in Midland, he moved to San Angelo in 2022. Throughout his career, he worked in the grocery industry with Furr's Grocery in El Paso and Lubbock and later with Albertsons Grocery in Midland and Odessa.
As Store Director of the Albertsons on County Road West in Odessa, Benny became known for his distinctive approach to leadership. He believed that the way people treated others revealed far more about their character than anything they could say in an interview. Prospective employees quickly learned that one of the surest ways to lose a job opportunity was to treat the customer service desk staff with anything less than kindness and respect as the entered the store for an interview. Benny believed that every person deserved to be treated with dignity, and he expected that same attitude from everyone who worked in his store.
Under his leadership, the store was consistently one of the top-performing Albertsons in the company. Benny was known for his creativity, developing innovative displays and promotions that drew customers and boosted sales. In his later years, he loved telling anyone who would listen about his famous "three-legged chicken" promotion, which helped his store sell more ready-made fried chicken than any other Albertsons in the chain.
Although Benny was a respected leader, he never lost his playful sense of humor. At one Albertsons corporate gathering, he walked into a meeting wearing a pair of binoculars around his neck. When someone asked why he had brought them, Benny grinned and replied, "They're for the manager of the second-place store so he can watch my rear end as I leave him in the dust." It was classic Benny: competitive, confident, and always ready with a laugh.
He eventually became Store Director for Big Lots after briefly retiring from Albertson’s and deciding he was not ready to retire. In addition to his retail career, Benny owned and operated a trailer park in Odessa, which he managed after retiring from Big Lots. He retired for good at the age of 71.
Benny was known not only for his strong work ethic but also for his generous spirit and dedication to serving others. In recognition of his many contributions to the Odessa community, the city honored him by proclaiming a "Benny Cowan Day" on December 18, 1991.
Benny found great joy working outdoors and had a lifelong passion for landscaping. He often remarked, "If I had gone to college, I would have studied landscape architecture."
Benny was a faithful member of Green Meadow Church of Christ in San Angelo.
Survivors include his daughter, Kim Livengood and husband Bobby of San Angelo; his grandson, Christiaan Livengood and wife Destyne of Dallas; his brother, Charles Cowwan of Lubbock; and a sister-in-law, K-Lu Cowan, of Montalba. Benny was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister, Diana Belle Cowan, a brother and sister-in law, Duane and Betty Cowan, a brother, Thomas Cowan, and a sister-in-law, Shirley Cowan.