William Nathan Cohen

Born on December 10, 1935, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Herb and Lillian Cohen. He attended Johns Hopkins University and earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1959.

After completing postgraduate training at the University of Michigan and the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis, Bill served with the United States Public Health Service in Gallup, New Mexico, where he was the radiologist at Gallup Indian Hospital and provided medical care to members of the Navajo Nation. He went on to a distinguished academic and clinical career in radiology, serving on the faculties of the University of Iowa and SUNY Upstate Medical University, and as a Visiting Professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A pioneer in the emerging fields of ultrasound and CT imaging, he published extensively, taught generations of physicians and medical students, and was widely respected for his expertise, intellect, and commitment to advancing medicine. He continued practicing until he was 79.

At the center of Bill's life was his family and his 62-year marriage to Sylvia (Weinstein) Cohen. After knowing each other for only six weeks, they became engaged and went on to build a life together grounded in love and partnership. Family time, visits, and regular phone calls remained a priority throughout his life. When his children were young, he loved spending time with them in the backyard garden, working on projects such as the annual family sukkah, and sitting down to dinner together every night.

Bill was an avid family historian who was fascinated by his family's genealogy and immigration story. He researched, compiled, and edited a book of letters written to his grandfather, Samuel (Shlayme) Goldberg by Samuel’s father, Chaim Goldberg who remained in Europe during the early twentieth century. The collection, titled Letters to Shlayme, preserved an important piece of his family's history and heritage for future generations.

Bill approached life with curiosity and a love of learning. He had a discerning eye for art and a deep appreciation for classical music. He was a regular concertgoer and was known to fill the house with his favorite music. He enjoyed the outdoors, spending time hiking, cross-country skiing, winter camping, and bird watching.

Bill led a simple life and used his resources to give back to others. Educational opportunity was very important to him and he cared greatly about expanding educational opportunities for those facing economic hardship. He quietly supported causes that reflected his belief in education, opportunity, and service to the community.

William is survived by his wife Sylvia Cohen; his children and their spouses, Elaine Cohen Hubal and Rob Hubal, Shirah Cohen and Eli Reinharz, and Jonathan Cohen and Stacy Cohen; his grandchildren, Jaren Hubal, Micah Reinharz, Nina Reinharz, Benjamin Cohen, and Lauren Cohen; and his sister, Helen Blatt.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, June 8, at 1:00 p.m. at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 1701 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC 27609. The service will be livestreamed at www.BrownWynneMillbrook.com To access the livestream, scroll down to William Cohen’s obituary page and select the livestream link. Shiva will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Elaine Hubal.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Children’s Literacy Initiative https://cli.org or a Jewish organization of your choice.