Derek Michael COHEN

Derek Michael Cohen, of Toronto, passed away peacefully, on October 11, 2024. He was born on September 24, 1941, in Pretoria, South Africa. Derek's parents, Barney and Anita, were sympathetic to and involved in anti-apartheid activities, so he was naturally inclined to the cause and spent part of his youth as a member of the African Resistance Movement. Through his activities in the ARM, he did manage to find himself in enough trouble that warranted a quick escape to London. Unable to return home, he went on to the United States, where he met and married his first wife, Marjorie, and lived in both Washington, DC, and New York City. Stateless and in exile from South Africa, Derek spent his time in America under scrutiny from the FBI and CIA. After an appeal to a sympathetic senator, Bobby Kennedy, Derek was granted a green card as one of the senator's final acts of his life. Though this could have entirely changed the trajectory of his life, by then Derek had already accepted a job at York University in Toronto and moved to Canada shortly thereafter. He was proud that he only ever held two jobs in his life: salad boy and University Professor. His two children, Sam and Sophie, were both born in Canada. In 1998, Derek married his second wife, Susan, and they enjoyed friends, family and life in Toronto until Derek died. Derek had a true passion for Shakespeare and passed that on to his many students. He was often heard quoting excerpts from various plays, something along the lines of "let me have men about me that are fat.." and would always follow up with a lesson on context. He was forever teaching and constantly correcting his children's grammar, well into their 50's. He had an extensive appreciation for fine art and literature, especially the classics, and he enjoyed listening to music. He adored his cousins and his many friends. He was also never known to turn down a nice scotch. Derek is survived by his wife, Susan, and her family (Jennifer Jeffrey and Amy Russell); his two sisters, Hazel (Robert Cohen) and Lois, and their families; his children, Sam (Nikki Marks) and Sophie (Brian Ptashnik); and his four grandchildren, Devlin, Sukey, Zoe and Talia, who were his absolute pride and joy. He was an immense presence in all our lives and will be sorely missed. A graveside service was held on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, in the Lagover Society section of Lambton Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Parkinson Canada ( 416-227-9700 or www.parkinson.ca).