Barbara Cowan Barajas

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of Barbara Lynn Cowan Barajas, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. Barbara passed away on August 16, 2026, after a long battle with Glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer. She was 63 years old. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her family.

Barb was born on July 5, 1963, in Houston Texas to James A. Cowan Jr and Dorothy N. Cowan. She was the youngest of three girls and she loved her family. Her father worked for International Harvester when she was young and they moved often. Barb grew up in Texas, Indiana and California, and made life-long friends everywhere she went. They took family vacations every summer, including camping trips along the West Coast and into Canada. These were some of her most cherished childhood memories.

Barb attended The University of Texas at Austin from 1981 to 1985 and enjoyed the full college experience. She joined the Delta Gamma sorority as a freshman and immediately immersed herself in Greek life. She loved the mixers, parties, football games and dances that were always on the schedule. It was at one of these parties that she met her future husband, John Barajas. They dated throughout college and both graduated from UT in May of 1985 with degrees from the McCombs School of Business.

John and Barb were married in Fort Worth, Texas in January 1986 and immediately began a series of moves about every 2-5 years for John’s job. Barb worked in retail management as a buyer for Foley’s Department stores and then as a General manager for Sun & Ski Sports. Barb had a natural sense of style and grace. She loved everything about the fashion industry, particularly shoes and handbags. She loved her work, which allowed her to travel across the country and internationally to trade shows.

John and Barb were blessed with three children, Courtney, Kelsey and Jack. The family lived in Texas, Colorado, and Illinois before moving to London, England. Although moving with young children was difficult, Barbara always rose to the challenge, and continued to make dear friends everywhere she lived. While in London, Barbara travelled to Amsterdam, Cyprus, and Prague to run half-marathons, and she loved to go antiquing with friends in France. John and Barb eventually returned to Houston in 2006, and built a strong community of friends. In 2014, Barb began work at Blue Willow Bookshop, a job she treasured for over a decade. In October 2023, Barb started her most important job, as “Gigi” to the first grandchild, her beloved Paloma.

Barb was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in March 2025. She was treated at the M.D.Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She went through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments. She had physical and occupational therapy and even participated in a clinical trial. Throughout everything she always had a smile and was always thankful to God. Her favorite saying during treatment was, “It is well with my soul.” When it became obvious that treatment was no longer working, she entered hospice care at her home in Houston, Texas. She spent 6 weeks fighting the cancer every single day from her bed or recliner. She went to be with our Lord on August 16, 2026.

She is survived by her husband of 40 years, John S. Barajas, her three children and one grandchild: Courtney Weinstein and her husband Brian Weinstein of San Diego, California; Kelsey Barajas, her husband Marshall Dworkin and their daughter Paloma Dworkin of New York City; and Jack Barajas and his wife Cleo Barajas of Galveston, Texas. She is also survived by her mother, Dorothy N. Cowan of San Antonio, Texas and her sister, Susan Carmona of San Antonio, Texas. She was preceded in death by her father, James A. Cowan, Jr. and her eldest sister, Elizabeth Alteri.

A memorial service will be held to honor Barbara at the Brookwood Community Chapel in Brookshire, Texas on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 3:00 pm. There will be a reception at the Brookwood cafe immediately following the service. If you want to make a donation in Barbara’s honor, the family asks that you consider one of the following organizations that were special to Barb: 1) The M.D.Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; 2) The Outreach Center of West Houston; 3) The Brookwood Community