bigbrycohen@gmail.com — Sharon Mark Cohen

October 30, 1944 - July 24, 2025

He asked me not to give his email address to anyone. What’s it matter now? There were lots of things he was private about. I had to pull some information out of him. He once told me he would tell me some of those things when he was dying. Bryan was spelled with a “Y. “ To his dismay, he had no middle name.

Bryan’s obituary was written by his daughter:

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Bryan Cohen, Esq., who died peacefully on July 24th, 2025. A beloved son, brother, husband, father, friend, and attorney, he was adored by all who knew him for his gentle manner and his love of a good laugh.

“Born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, Bryan attended Thomas Jefferson High School where he excelled in scholarship and baseball. He idolized Mickey Mantle and was himself a powerful slugger on the varsity team. He once had the opportunity to try out for the Yankees but resorted to college and graduate school as a second choice. Bryan attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, followed by Rutgers Law School in Camden, NJ. For most of his life he lived in Southern NJ where he worked as a solo practitioner attorney.

“Bryan was always passionate about both playing sports and rooting for his favorite teams. He was an avid golfer who knew every spring that “This was the year” he was going to reach his personal best. Once he moved to Southern NJ he became a Philly fan, cheering on the Eagles, 76ers and Phillies.

“Often mistaken for Tom Selleck, Bryan was as spiritual as he was handsome. He loved contemplating life’s deep questions, writing poetry, exploring modes of self-cultivation, and offering hope and healing to those in need. He often advised, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted,” words that transformed many a challenge into hard-earned wisdom.

“Above all, Bryan was devoted to his family, gracing them with unwavering time, attention, and approval. He is survived by his loving children, Sage and David M. Cohen; his grandchildren Zake and Isaiah Cohen and Theo Luchs-Cohen; and his former wife, Bobbi Cohen. He is the son of the late Hilda and Isadore Cohen; brother of Arnold Shep Cohen, Esq. and his wife Sharon Mark Cohen; and the late Jeffrey Cohen, PhD. He will be greatly missed by all, including his dear friends.

“A Celebration of Life will be planned for later in the year.”

Before the formal obituary was posted, I sent an email to close family and friends:

“…Growing up they shared a bedroom. Throughout life, they shared hopes and dreams. For the past decade or more, Bryan waited for Arnee’s calls on most Sunday evenings when they would kibbutz, talk politics, sports, family matters, memories of friends, and love for their family.

”Days before Bryan went on hospice care for circulatory issues, which ultimately blocked antibiotics from reaching and curing an infection, Moss was with us when I fed his adored uncle the meal we brought for him. He said it was the most he had eaten in a year and a half…”

For our next visit, after giving his daughter time alone with her dad, Arnee and I drove down to South Jersey to have what turned out to be our final visit.

That was after 73 years of knowing him for Arnee and 55 for me. Our first meeting was when he and Bobbi drove Arnee to pick me up so we could all go to the Regent Movie Theater in Elizabeth to see Airport. Arnee and I started dating in October, 1969, but I met the family in 1970. After the movie, we went to their parents’ house, and Bryan took Arnee into the back bedroom and wrestled with him, once again, to their mother’s dismay. Arnee told me later that while they wrestled, Bryan asked Arnee if he was going to marry me. I think I had his approval.

The first summer we were married, while Arnee was still in law school, he clerked for Bryan at his Cherry Hill law office. We lived across the Ben Franklin Bridge at their elder brother Jeffrey’s apartment in Center City, Philadelphia. Jeffrey and his family spent the summer in Washington, D.C., where Jeffrey worked for the Navy as a physicist.

On a visit with our son Moss along on July 5, 2025, I thought to ask Bryan some questions about his “favorites“ so that I would have the information on record “from the horse’s mouth.” By then, we were told he was dying. He asked, “Why do you want to know these things?” I shrugged.

The barrage of questions started with, “Who was your favorite uncle? Mind you, there were more than a dozen to choose from, but the answer came readily. “Uncle Phil,” he replied, adding that he followed sports and was a golfer.

As far as a favorite relative, Irv, the husband of his mother’s niece/best friend. He could not name his favorite aunt, but said Adley, Irv’s wife, five years his mother’s junior, was like that, like an aunt, and she was his favorite.

His favorite cousin is Arby. He’s Adley and Irv’s son, and he and Bryan were both born in 1944, two months apart.

His favorite color, he didn’t hesitate to say, is orange. That’s the same favorite color as my brother Stu’s. I should have asked Bryan why he chose orange, but I was eager to get as many “favorites” from him recorded as I could before he stopped answering me.

At one time, I asked Stu why orange was his favorite color. He said it’s because not many people chose it, and it’s a bright color. See My Favorite Color is Red, dated October 3, 2023, at sharonmarkcohen.com.

The day after Bryan’s passing, I saw an article in the newspaper about Shari Lewis. Why am I mentioning that? I remembered Bryan and my brother Stu at our house discussing the entertainer and recall them mentioning her jokingly the next time they saw each other at our house. That’s just another indication of the closeness of our families and the wonderful stories we shared.

Since I was busy cooking and serving, and only caught an earshot of the conversation, I asked Stu what Bryan and he had discussed about Shari Lewis. He said, “We talked about how old she was. Bryan said he had seen her in person when they were young.” Wow, I didn’t know that! Along with Lamb Chop, she was one of my favorites.

Ian Gale, originally named Ian Galubchuck, was Bryan’s best friend in high school, and Art Fisch was his best friend at Rutgers. At a book signing, I met someone who, as it turned out, Bryan and his wife had double-dated with in law school.

The author graduated from law school with Bryan at Rutgers-Camden and remembered Bryan’s poetry. He shared happy memories while autographing a copy of his book for me to bring to Bryan.

We even discussed the great pets Bryan adored. During his children’s childhood, his family dogs were Frodie, Snoopy, and Quincy. Since their cat was named Charlie Brown, I gave friendly Quincy a second name and called him “Quincy Adams.”

Asking Bryan to name his all-time favorite baseball team resulted in a resounding, “The Yankees.” And, he met Mickey Mantle. Aside from taking his picture with his all-time favorite player, he got The Mick’s autograph for his brother Arnee. See Why Oklahoma CIty?, dated September 10, 2019, at sharonmarkcohen.com. Knowing my passion for family history, Bryan gifted me the Hallmark Tree of Life piece for my 50th birthday in 2003.

Since living in South Jersey, the Sixers became Bryan’s favorite basketball team. The favorite car he owned was his Jaguar. His favorite movie, he said, was Being There.

Italian food was the answer about his favorite food, and the recently shut-down family-owned Spiritos, in business in his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, since 1932, was his favorite restaurant/pizza place.

As the memories flowed, Bryan laughed when he added that in junior high school in Elizabeth, at Hamilton, he was the ping-pong champion of the city all three years. He also boxed on television as a youngster with his brother Jeffrey and cousins Donnie and Glenn.

When Moss visited his uncle with us, Bryan said, “I’m happiest when my family is here.” We were happy that we could make three trips to South Jersey in July to be with him.

On our drive home from our second trip, when Moss was with us and driving the car, he questioned, “Could it be that dire?” I fully knew what he meant since his uncle was engaged and not showing any signs that death was knocking at his door. Yet, we were told by his doctors that he was dying.

On our last visit, when Bryan was in hospice care and on morphine, his mood changed

July 13, 2025, while sitting next to Bryan as he lay in bed, noticeably very perturbed, he asked, “I don’t get how she could be so serious to me.” “Who?” I asked. “My daughter,” he raged. As we looked at family photos streaming on a screen that she had set up, he continued, “Is someone dying or something?”

At some point, when he was gazing but not speaking, I asked, “What are you thinking?” His retort, “What’s it your business?” Did that upset me? Not at all. I was happy that he was responsive.

Bryan wrote a poem that he read to Arnee and me before posting it on Facebook. On May 30, 2019, I forwarded it to my brother Stu and said, “I told Bryan that he should publish it.”

AGING

by Bryan Cohen

Being of a certain age
Feeling the travails
Of advancing time
Aware
Of how much worse
It could be
Thankful
I still know I am me

I found an entire folder of Bryan’s writing, which he gave to his parents. He called it Emanations.

Short, meaningful condolence notes tell so much. I’m posting several examples. The first is from my cousin Lynne.

Dear Sharon & Arnee,

I am very sorry to hear this news. Although I met Bryan only a few times (during seders at your home), his engaging good humor (and knowledge of sports!) made me feel comfortable and, at once, like an old buddy. You were so fortunate to have him as your big brother.

Love,

Lynne

Next is from a colleague of Arnee’s from South Jersey who also worked with Bryan (same last name but not related).

I’m so sorry to hear this sad news. My heart goes out to you and your family.

He, Joel and I had some great times at 102 East Gate Drive and playing pick up basketball games among other things. My sincere condolences. He was a good man.
With my deepest sympathy,
Steve
Then, there’s Herbie, who grew up across the street from Bryan.
Bryan and I lived across the street from each other on Pennington Street in Elizabeth. Our group was Bryan, Charlie Jacknow, Arnie Schoenberg and me.

We were roommates in Hegeman Hall at Rutgers in New Brunswick. Our mothers picked out matching bedding.

Bryan was about the most easy going and friendly guy I ever knew. And one of the physically strongest. We’d lift weights together in his driveway. I always left depressed.

I read his obituary and am glad he had a good life. He deserved one.

Barbara (Weinstein) Grumet

So very sorry to hear this news. Bryan and I were friends since junior high school. I’m so sad!

Myrna (Margolis) Gross

Your father was a very special human being. Good and kind and wonderful. May he rest in peace. How lucky for you and David to have such a wonderful human as your dad.

Arnee describes his brother simply as “strikingly handsome.”

Could our run really have ended? The last words I said to Bryan were, “We love you.” After a pregnant pause, I asked, “Do you love us?” He decidedly said, “No.” Look at the pictures, and you decide…