Howard M. Cohen

Mr. Cohen was born at Lennox Hills Hospital, NYC, January 21, 1929. He graduated

from PS 87 Elementary, 1942, the High School of Commerce, 1946, and Colgate University, 1949.

He began his sales career with a small blood- bank service.

On November 1, 1950 he enlisted in the United States Navy as a hospitalman recruit with specialized training at Great Lakes Naval base, Chicago, and Bethesda Naval Hospital,

Maryland. While on active duty he traveled to Japan, Korea, Okinawa, Hong Kong, the

Philippines, and French Indo-China (Vietnam). As Sr. Medical Officer, he was responsible for managing and maintaining sick bay aboard the USS Montague, an attack cargo ship. Sr. Chief Cohen was honorably discharged from active duty November 4, 1954, at the rank of HM2 (Second Class Petty Officer, E-6).

A member of the Naval Reserves he participated in monthly weekend duty at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, and later at Fort Nathan Hale, East Haven, Connecticut. Annual two-week assignments took him to various US ports including a return to Bethesda Naval Hospital and an assignment aboard the USS Nimitz. He was promoted to the rank of HMCS (Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman, E-8), and twice met all eligibility requirements for the rank of Master Chief, for which there was no billet. As a reservist, he was twice called to active duty for national and local support. He completed 40 years service with the Navy and reluctantly retired August 1, 1990.

As a civilian he continued his sales career in the clinical laboratory field with Certified Blood Donor Service (seven years) promoting blood-banking supplies. He was employed by Clay-Adams, (a large manufacturer of laboratory supplies) for ten years, followed by six years with Becton-Dickinson Co. Howard joined Glass Columbia Clinical Laboratory for five years, followed by four years as a logistics courier with Quest Diagnostics.

He left his sales career and joined Westbrook Honda/Lorenson Toyota, 1989 as a courier where he stayed until the onset of his illness in 2009.

He married Joy Alice Ruth November, 1964 at Tabor Lutheran Church, Branford, and lived first in West Haven, then in Ridgefield for seven years. Their daughter, Cynthia, was born August 1967. The family moved to Clinton 1972.

He was predeceased by his brother, Ernest Cohen, MD, and sister-in-law, Julia (Berman) Cohen. He is survived by his nephews Paul and his wife and daughter, Beth and Ariel (Cumming, GA), Lawrence and his wife, Anne and children, Angelina Rose and Matthew (Suffern NY), and Andrew (Arlington, VA); and by his niece, Suzanne and her husband and son, Brian and Nathaniel Dillahunt (Marysville, OH).

He was a member of the American Legion Post 66. Calling hours: Thursday, May 24 from 5-9 pm at Swan Funeral Home, 80 Main Street, Clinton and Friday, May 25, from 9-9:45 am, at Tabor Lutheran Church, 25 Tabor Drive, Branford. Funeral services will begin at 10:00 am followed by a brief reception in fellowship hall. A private, family burial will be conducted at graveside at the Military Cemetery in Middletown. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 123, Washington, DC. 20004, and to the Tabor Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, Tabor Lutheran Church, Branford, Ct. where he was a member.

“Go Navy!”