Rhoda Phyllis Cohen

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Rhoda Cohen, a beloved, mother, bubby, sister, and friend, on August 11, 2023 at the age of 89. Her legacy of kindness, strength, and unwavering love will forever resonate in our hearts and be a blessing for all who knew her.

Rhoda will be missed by her children; Jonathan, Amy and Diane, grandchildren; Ariel, Rachel, Rebecca, Matthew and Josh, brother; David, son/daughter in-laws; Julie and Ken and her many, many friends.

Born on March 10, 1934 in Brooklyn, NY, Rhoda was the daughter of Sara and Maurice Goldman. From an early age, her inner strength and genuine compassion for others were evident, traits that would define her journey as a teacher in the NY City Public School system. She graduated from Hunter College with a degree in Psychology and years later, while teaching full-time, went on to get a Master’s Degree in education from Columbia University. Her role as teacher was evident in all of her relationships with students, family and friends.

Rhoda had a lifelong passion for art, practicing and teaching in many mediums. She also had a green thumb, believed in organic farming and farm to table before they were ever in vogue and surrounded herself with plants and flowers wherever she was. She taught her grandchildren how to sew, knit, make crafts and encouraged them in the arts from a young age. She was also an avid supporter of the theater and public television and her lifetime membership at MOMA was of her greatest joys.

As we mourn the loss of this remarkable woman, we also celebrate the light and strength she brought into our lives and the profound mark she left on our hearts. Rhoda believed in the power of love and its ability to heal anything and that legacy will guide us always.

A funeral service for Rhoda will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039. The burial will follow at Mt Hebron Cemetery, 130-04 Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, NY 11367.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to PBS or The Nature Conservancy.