Dorothy Jacobs Cohn

Dorothy (Dot) Jacobs Cohn was born to Rae Benjamin Jacobs and Ira D. Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan on the 8th of September 1906, the second of three children. Actually, they named her Yetta Adele Jacobs, but she never liked that name, and at about age five, she started calling herself Dottie Dell. She would make up stories as a very young child about Dottie Dell and Dickie Dan. She never legally changed her name to Dorothy. The family moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1921. Dot’s family immediately became a member of Temple Beth El, and with the encouragement of Rabbi Frisch and his wife, Ruth Cohen Frisch, she became involved in the Religious School, teaching there for a number of years. On January 28th, 1929, she had a blind date with a handsome young man, Julius Samuel Cohn of San Diego, Texas to the wedding of Mickey Goodman and Jules Breitenbach. They became engaged in March and married on April 14th, 1929. Home was San Diego. While building their own home, they lived in the Cohn family house with Julius’ father, Mauritz Daniel Cohn, his sister, Pauline Cohn Wolf, Pauline’s husband, Albert Wolf, and their sons, Raymond and Albert, Jr., and Albert’s mother, Rae Wolf. The family business was a general store – M.D. Cohn & Co. – everything from dry goods and furniture to groceries and meat. Julius was busy with the store and Dot stayed busy teaching dancing and organizing and putting on little variety shows in San Diego. Her days usually started off with a couple of games of tennis with Julius. Dot’s son, Maurice Daniel, named for his grandfather, but called “Sonny Boy” was born on May 19, 1930. Her daughter, Marilyn Ruth, called “Sister”, named for her two grandmothers, Martha Cohn and Rae Jacobs, was born a year, a week and a day later on May 27th, 1931. Dot’s mother, Rae, came to help when Sonny Boy was born and never went back to San Antonio. She died in Harlingen on September 30, 1955. Both the Cohn and Wolf families moved to Harlingen, Texas in 1936, when Julius and Albert opened a welding equipment sales and service business. Their brother-in-law, Max Abrams, introduced them to that business. He had a similar business in Corpus Christi. They eventually expanded that business into the successful manufacturing of oxygen and acetylene. Dot taught Sunday school and all of the Confirmation classes at the Temple in Mercedes, Texas, and later at the newly built Temple Beth Israel in Harlingen, and was superintendent in both places. She organized the covered dish suppers at the Harlingen Temple, was active in the PTA (serving as President at the grade school, junior high school and high school, as well as the Council of P.T.A.’s) from the time the children entered school. Whenever any child in school needed anything, the Principal - usually M.H. Connally, would call on Dot Cohn for help. She was also active in the Women's Club. She and Julius were avid golfers, playing several times a week. And, in her spare time, she continued to make up stories, publishing a children’s book called “Down Mexico Way”, and two puzzle books: “El Burrito Testarudo”, and “Louie the Light Globe”. She and Julius also produced coloring place mats. Their company was called Dodelco, named for Dottie Dell Cohn. Julius died on July 17, 1965 while he and Dot were visiting Galveston. After his death, Dot moved to Galveston to be near Marilyn, Babe and their sons. There she stayed for about two years, and then moved to San Antonio for a year. She finally settled in Austin where she would be close to Sonny (Maurice), Andra and Ronda, and where he was a practicing pediatrician. She started making the bank deposits for Maurice’s office when she moved there, and continued to do so until shortly before her death. She considered that “her job”. She broke her hip in the fall of 2000, and refused to have it fixed. She said she would walk anyway, and she did, with the aid of a walker. This was another example of her strength and will. Whenever Dot said she was going to do something, there was no way to stop her. When she said she was NOT going to do something, you could take that to the bank. She was preceded in death by her parents, her older brother, Marvin and his wife, Mary, her younger brother Charles (Buster) and his wife, Sylvia and her son, Maurice Daniel, who was perfect. Dot is survived by her daughter Marilyn Cohn Schwartz and her husband, A.R. “Babe” Schwartz of Austin, daughter-in-law, Andra Portugal Cohn of Austin, sister-in-law, Carlotta Jacobs of Kanab, Utah, grandchildren Robert Allen Schwartz and wife Monya of Houston, Richard Austin Schwartz and wife, Paula of Houston, John Reed Schwartz and wife, Jeanne of Millburn, N.J., Thomas Lee Schwartz, M.D. and wife Barbara of Sarasota, FL, and Ronda Cohn Berton and husband Jon of Atlanta, GA, and thirteen great-grandchildren: Marshall Berton, Jason Schwartz, Justin Schwartz, Megan Schwartz, Bitsy Schwartz, Melissa Schwartz, Fallin Leger, Elizabeth Schwartz, Sam Schwartz, Joseph Schwartz, Madison Schwartz, Spencer Schwartz, and Wyatt Schwartz, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, devoted caregivers, Donna Gode, Robin Harris and her devoted pets, Puppy and Millie (the bad cat), and a host of friends, all of whom have enjoyed her in life and will miss her. Graveside services will be held on Thursday, October 2nd at one o’clock in the afternoon in the Hebrew Benevolent section of Galveston Memorial Park in Hitchcock, Texas, with Rabbi Jimmy Kessler officiating. As much as Dot loved flowers, she always felt that gifts to various charities and causes were the most appropriate way to honor any person. Therefore, memorials in Dot’s name may be made to Hospice Austin or the charity of your choice. Casket bearers will be grandsons: Bob Schwartz, Dick Schwartz, John Schwartz, and Tommy Schwartz, great grandsons: Jason Schwartz and Justin Schwartz. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78705 – (512) 452-8811 You may view memorials online at www.wcfish.com