Kenneth Brandon Cowart died attempting to save two boys from drowning, Cartwright, Oklahoma, June 30, 2012. The boys, aged 13 and 11, were wading in the Red River below a hydroelectric and flood-control dam after a warning from the dam that water was to be released from Lake Texoma into the river. Upon release, the water rose quickly and became turbulent and swift, trapping the boys at a point about 100 feet from the nearer bank. Cowart, 38, food preparer, who was not in the boys’ party, was fishing from that bank. He entered the water and moved toward the boys but also became trapped by the rough water conditions. Firefighters arrived. One of them, tethered by line, waded into the river and rescued the younger boy, the older boy making it to safety on his own. Cowart submerged about then. His body was recovered from the river about two hours later. He had drowned.
85040 – 9683
85040-9683Obituary
Kenneth Brandon Cowart, 38, of Denison, Texas, died on June 30, 2012, in Oklahoma. Cowart was born on Dec. 7, 1973, the son of Billy Richard and J. Elaine Tarpley Cowart.
Cowart was employed at Ruiz Foods for almost six years. He was an avid bow hunter and fisherman.
Cowart gave his life being a hero, drowning after attempting to save two children at his favorite spot at the Red River in Cartwright, Okla.
(Edited from an obituary provided by a family member.)