Jordan Rian Cohen

It is with sorrow that we share the sad news of Jordan R. Cohen’s, of Wilmington, NC, passing on August 19th 2026. Jordan was a much-beloved father, grandfather, husband, partner, brother, teacher, mentor and friend. He died peacefully at his home overlooking the Cape Fear River following a long struggle with cancer. He was 80 years old.

Jordan married his wife, folk artist Nancy Johnson Cohen, on July 5th, 1969. As an active duty captain in the US Air Force, that was the day he was available to get married. They were married until her death in 2021. Jordan and Nancy had two children, Heather and Todd, while he continued to advance both his academic and professional careers. He earned his PhD in linguistics in 1982.

For most of his career Jordan was both a member and leader of teams of scientists for the government and private firms large and small. He worked for IDA, IBM, Voice Signal, and SRI, among others. His innovations in cryptography, dictation, and speech recognition led to several patents of technology that is incorporated into devices we use every day including Siri, Alexa, and cell phones. Throughout, he nurtured and mentored the careers of many who became friends for life. After retirement, he continued enthusiastically following developments in technology and science, maintaining his lifelong belief that expanding and advancing scientific knowledge will lead to a better future.

For the past few years he explored and cherished new experiences with his partner, Theresa Ellis. He tried to beat the stock market almost daily with varying degrees of success. He mentored many young entrepreneurs. He shared new wines with his wine group. He turned his considerable creative powers to telling jokes. These will be missed - those that made us laugh and those that made us cringe. In recent weeks, he held court in his living room, receiving friends and acquaintances while enjoying private time with Theresa and family, with Lucy the Wonderdog snuggled at his side.

Jordan is survived by his loving partner, Theresa Ellis; his daughter, Heather Cohen Fleming, her husband Tim, and granddaughters, Kira and Mina; his son, Todd Cohen, his partner, Lex; his sister, Susan Snyder, her husband, Alan, and their son, Aaron; his sister, Cynthia Cohen, and her wife, Ann Morgan; his brother-in-law, Bob Stern, widower of his deceased brother, Mitchell Cohen, and their son, Nathan Cohen-Stern.

Jordan was generous in so many ways - time, money, laughter. He had a real gift for making and keeping friends. May his memory always arrive with a smile to all of you.

A memorial for Jordan will be held on Sunday, August 30th, from 2 to 4 pm, at Andrews Mortuary Valley Chapel at 4108 S College Rd in Wilmington.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to:

-The V Foundation for Cancer Research: https://www.v.org/ways-to-give/honors-and-memorials/

OR

-The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/29883/donations/new?designation=centerforinnovationandentrepreneurship&