Colin B. Cowles

Our family grieves the sudden loss of Colin Cowles at the age of 61. He was our husband, father, brother, uncle and friend. Colin died unexpectedly on December 23 from a heart attack. We are stunned by the loss but so grateful to have shared our lives with him. Colin, known affectionately as Mister Gao, was loved by many here in Portland, and leaves a broad network of friends and family that extends from Denver, Colorado to Shanghai, China, with roots and branches in Michigan, California, New York City, and Georgia. "The sun never sets on the world of Gao."

Colin was born in 1963 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Richard and Suzanne Cowles, the second of four children. After a couple of early moves, the family settled in Littleton, Colorado, where Colin attended primary and high school. He was a standout student academically and as a student leader at Heritage High School, graduating in 1981 and delivering the valedictory address. He was an avid soccer player from his youth through his early college years. After injuries ended his soccer playing, his deep interest in alternative sports bloomed and he competed successfully with his friends on the Team Berkeley Footbag squad in the mid-80s.

After graduating with a B.A. degree in Political Science and a Phi Beta Kappa key from University of California Berkeley in 1985, Colin expanded his horizons and initiated a fruitful professional career concerned with all things Chinese that spanned twenty years; his personal engagement in Chinese cultural matters lasted his entire life. His interests took him to Taiwan, Tibet (before it was closed to the West) and the People's Republic of China, and throughout SE Asia many times in pursuit of academic, professional and personal exploration. He expanded his academic credentials with an M.A in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, graduating in 1992.

In the early 90s, he met the lovely and talented Wen Wang during his time at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Being a bright fellow, he married her immediately. Together they would build a richly textured life and grow a beautiful family. Colin and Wen settled first in Manhattan, where Colin worked for The China Institute in America for 7 years while Wen pursued her MBA at Long Island University. From Manhattan they moved to Shanghai in 1999. Their happy duet became a trio with the birth of son Victor in 2000 and then a quartet in 2006 when daughter Damaris joined them.

In 2016 the family resettled in Portland, Oregon, trading their busy urban lifestyle and an ultra-modern 13th floor condominium for a lovely 100 year-old house in a quiet neighborhood. They relished the change. Colin devoted himself to his family's comfort and happiness in their new home, helping his children navigate the new academic environments, and encouraging Wen in her own active cultural engagement. Throughout this period, he cultivated his own diverse interests in the arts, film, music, literature and sports, taking great pleasure in Portland’s "weirdness" and pursuing his fascination with organic wood sculptural forms.

We will remember Colin for his deep reflective and charismatic engagement with us all, his boundless interests, his lively wit and clever pranks, and his bottomless affection and support for his family. He took great satisfaction in all of their achievements. He is survived by his wife Wen, his son Victor, his daughter Damaris, his siblings Matthew, Chris, Sara and their families and countless friends around the world. We are all so grateful for you in our lives, Colin. Safe travels and much love, always.