Alan Murray Cohen

Beloved Father, Grandfather, and Friend

It is with great sadness that the family of Alan Cohen announces his passing. Alan was a man with an enormous heart whose greatest joy was his family, and whose second greatest joy was sports of every kind — especially the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Jets, and the Michigan Wolverines, whose maize and blue he wore with pride.

Alan was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, surrounded by his close-knit extended family on East 7th Street. He lost his father at the age of eight, an early loss that shaped his life. He spent his summers at Oxford-Gilford camp in the Catskills, eventually becoming a waiter and counselor. He was not always the star athlete, as he’d say, but the one who would win the all-around-camper award.

His love of sports carried into fatherhood. From the first basketball hoop on the block to backyard games of catch, family ski trips, and the quest to attend a baseball game at every stadium, Alan created memories rooted in presence, play, and love. He worked for many years in sales, including for a stuffed animal company, where he shared trunk-loads of samples with the soccer team’s little sisters on the sidelines.

Alan was known for his humor, his social warmth, his fierce love of sports, and his passion for current events. Even as his health declined, a mention of the Jets or a political debate would bring him right back to full strength. He built friendships wherever he lived — from Brooklyn to New Jersey to Chicago — and ultimately returned to be closer to his children and grandchildren, showing up for birthdays, recitals, games, and every moment he could.

He knew loss, including the passing of his brother at a young age and later his beloved son, Michael — a tragedy that forever changed his spirit. Yet through heartbreak, he remained devoted. He loved deeply and tried always to do “the dad things” in the best way he knew how.

Alan is survived by:

• His daughter Dr. Jennifer Schwartz and her husband Scott Schwartz, and their daughter Sydney

• His daughter Andrea Cohen-Chen and her husband James Chen

• His grandchildren Abigail, Alexis, and Brian Cohen, the children of his late son, Michael Cohen

His grandchildren carry their own memories: Abby remembering him helping with her hair before camp; Lexi watching The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella while eating Beefaroni; Brian sharing baseball, soccer, and the Mets and Jets with him; and Sydney treasuring the flowers he brought to every dance recital, along with the copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, his favorite book, hat sits on her shelf.

A private graveside service will be held for immediate family at New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY. There will be no formal shiva; the family will be spending time together privately.

Donations in Alan’s memory may be made to the American Heart Association, in recognition of the impact heart disease has had on the Cohen family.

May his memory be a blessing, and may all who loved him find comfort in the joy he shared, the loyalty he lived by, and the stories he leaves behind.