Esther Elizabeth Rogers Kincaid Cowart, 98, of Hamilton, VA, died at the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Louisa, VA on September 30, 2013. Known to her family and friends as Esther or "Betsy", she was preceded in death by her parents, Howard Cochran Rogers of Hamilton, VA and Beulah Corbin Rogers of Waterford, VA. Her husband of four months, John Franklin Kincaid, USN,MC, of Leesburg, was killed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, and her husband, William Lawson Cowart of Jacksonville, FL, passed away in August 1973. She is survived by her daughters, Corbin Cowart Bettencourt and her husband, Richard, of Charleston, SC, Cochran Cowart Garnett and her husband, Jeff, of Louisa, VA and Jean Cowart Crabtree and her husband, Larry of Snellville, GA; her grandchildren Richard Bettencourt, Jr. and his wife Laini, of Gaithersburg, MD, Griffin Bettencourt and his wife Jaime, of Charlotte, NC, Bradford Bettencourt of Atlanta, GA, Winston Garnett and Molly Garnett of Charlottesville, VA, Hamilton Garnett and his wife, Melanie of Richmond, VA and Merchant Garnett also of Richmond, VA. Mrs. Cowart was a proud great-grandmother of Madison Bettencourt (13), Colman Bettencourt (9), Cohen Bettencourt (6) and Hudson Bettencourt (1).
Although Esther had no brothers, she was blessed with four first cousins to whom she was known as "Betsy" and whom she loved as brothers: Samuel H. Rogers of Leesburg, Dr. Joseph M. Rogers of Hamilton, Richard A. Rogers of The Glebe, Leesburg, and the late Howard C. Rogers II of Hamilton.
Esther graduated in 1932 from Lincoln High School, Lincoln, VA and thereafter attended Westhampton College (University of Richmond) and American University. As a young adult, she enjoyed living in Richmond with her parents during the General Assembly, where her father represented Loudoun County in the House of Delegates. She also helped her father in the family business, Hamilton Milling Company. During the wartime effort of The American Red Cross, she performed home service, organized fund raising events and planned three major Christmas programs for Quantico Marine Base and Mt. Alto Veterans' Hospital. She also worked with her sister, Jane Rogers, as a preschool teacher and director of music at Jane's Kindergarten in Hamilton, which, for 37 years, provided early childhood education for children throughout Loudoun County . Following her passion and natural talent, she served as a member of the Ladies Board of Loudoun Memorial Hospital (Inova Loudoun Hospital) for more than 65 years and in 2006, was honored by the Board for her remarkable service. Esther also served on the Board of Trustees of Loudoun Memorial Hospital in the late 1970's. Her contribution as the founding Director of Loudoun County Museum and her involvement in historic preservation and the development of tourism in Loudoun, was acknowledged on several occasions: 1982 Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year "A driving force behind our success"; 1995 honored by the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia as "Outstanding Women of Loudoun County 1995." Esther remained interested in her community as a member of the Hamilton Book Club, of which her mother was a charter member, United Daughters of the Confederacy, The Loudoun Museum, Loudoun Restoration and Preservation Society and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts/Loudoun County Chapter.
Except for a brief period of time when Esther's husband was stationed in the Philippines, she lived almost her entire life in her family homes located in the center of the Town of Hamilton. As a child, she lived next door to her grandparents, Samuel Edgar Rogers, who was born in Hamilton on the family farm and who rode with Col. John Mosby during the War Between the States, and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Megeath Rogers, who was born in Philomont, VA. In 2008, in order to be closer to immediate family, Esther moved to The Colonnades in Charlottesville, VA where she lived independently until the last few months of her life.
A close friend of Esther's once wrote about her saying she "is a lady with strong links to the past, with one foot in the future. Under her gracious and intelligent directions, she (became) one of the most necessary cultural activists for Loudoun County."
A memorial service will be held this Friday, October 4, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. in The Old Chapel, Hamilton Baptist Church, 16 East Colonial Highway, Hamilton, VA 20158.
Memorials may be made to "Lights of Love", c/o Loudoun Hospital Center, 44045 Riverside Parkway, Leesburg, VA 20176.