Family and friends remember Buffalo restaurateur Tommy Cowan

A bouquet of flowers hugs the front door of Doc Sullivan's in South Buffalo, a small symbol of what has become a growing garden of tributes to a man who gave his all to everyone around him.

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Tommy Cowan, a proud product of South Buffalo, who achieved his dream of owning and operating restaurants in his hometown, passed away unexpectedly Monday at 44, leaving behind a legacy of generosity, kindness and community spirit.

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"At Tommy's table everyone was welcome," his obituary reads.

That warm and welcoming spirit was well known at Doc Sullivan's on Abbott Road, along with Forty Thieves on Elmwood Avenue where friends lit candles Tuesday night in remembrance.

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His passing has sparked hundreds of tributes online from family and friends.

Buffalo's close-knit hospitality community remembers Cowan as an "icon" and a generous man who touched the lives of everyone he crossed paths with. Griffin's Irish Pub added 'South Buffalo's heart is heavy" in a post on social media.

Friends tell 7 News that Cowan's passing is a "terrible loss."

One of his first jobs in the hospitality business was Soho on Chippewa. Owner Jay Mano says Cowan was the consummate professional saying "He was the guy. It was born into him. Couple his good heart with his morals and he was someone everyone should try and be."

Cowan's obituary says he learned to appreciate the best in people from his parents Tom and Libby, saying he never missed an opportunity to support the military, police, firefighters, and first responders.

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"Tommy was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, his generosity seemed to know no bounds", said Father Matt Foley, President of St. Francis High School who will be celebrating Cowan's funeral mass on Friday at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna.

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"Deeply respected among so many in Western New York, the restaurant industry, the hospitality industry, but it seems also among the police, firefighters, and first responders," said Father Foley, "I think he was a light to so many. I think that's why he will be missed by so many,"

7 News also spoke with Cowan's mother Libby, and his sister Erin on Wednesday, both are heartbroken saying "Tommy was the light of our lives, the most generous kind-hearted guy you could ever meet", adding, "He will always be the best guy we know,"

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Visitation at the funeral home is set for 4 p.m. Thursday at James W. Cannan Funeral Home on Orchard Park Road. The funeral mass is scheduled for Friday 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna. Cowan will be buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna.