Joseph Francis McGowam

Joseph McGowan died on June 29, 2025, in Maynardville, TN, age 55. A native of Knoxville, Joe graduated from West High School, then served in the Navy before earning a BA in English Literature from the University of TN. He lived in Los Angeles for 25 years with his wife and family, working as a propmaster and driver in the film industry, a proud member of IATSE Local 44 and Teamsters Local 399. Joe was a poet, a world-traveler, a lover of mountains. He knew every street in Los Angeles, every dirt road in the Mojave, and every highway-exit BBQ shack in the South. He was a storyteller with a quick wit and a deep intellect who loved literature, movies, and music. If you were Joe’s friend or family, he had your back. Predeceased by his mother, Sylvia (Morris) Camisa, grandmother, Floyd (Watson) Morris, and father, Morgan McGowan. A loyal and loving husband and father, he is survived by his wife of 23 years, Deena Rosen, their children, Maya and Samuel McGowan, and his brother, John McGowan.