Gerald (Jake) Charles Cowden, 93, died on March 8 in Laguna Woods, Calif. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ruth Maxine Cowden; his daughter, Susan Immel, and son-in-law, Jerry Immel of Laguna Beach; his granddaughters, Jennifer Switzer of Newport Beach, Calif., Amy Lee Knott of Lusby, Md., and Laura Cowden of Arlington; his daughter-in-Law, Cathy Cowden of Falls Church; his great grandsons, Jacob Switzer and William Knott. His son, Kenneth Nugent Cowden, and grandson, David Cowden, predeceased Gerald.
Originally from Iowa, he moved in 1941 to Washington, D.C., to pursue his education in law. He served in the Army Air Corp in India during World War II from 1942 until 1946. Upon returning, he resumed his education in law and became a member of the Bar in Washington, D.C. He then began a career working for the Department of the Army as a civilian at the Pentagon and settled his family first in Alexandria, and then for the next 54 years lived in Vienna. While living in Vienna, he served on the Town Council for eight years. He volunteered as a reader of law books for the blind. He retired from the Department of the Army, Secretary of Defense's office, in 1981 after working 40 years at the Pentagon.