Shirley Cohen

Shirley Cohen, devoted family member and friend, lifetime New Yorker, and social justice champion, sadly died on October 18, 2025 after a short illness at 97.

She was born Shirley Radzin in Brooklyn, one of two daughters of Albert and Esther Radzin, Jewish immigrants. She was predeceased by her older brother, Irving and her younger sister, Janice who died in 1967.

Her lifetime love and companion was her husband, Paul Cohen. They were married in 1949 and remained married until his death in 2014. Paul was a World War II veteran and a worker for the New York City Transit Authority and Shirley was a bookkeeper and, for several years prior to her retirement, director of a credit union in Brooklyn.

She was second to none in her love and devotion to her husband and other family members: her sons David and Bob and their wives, Debbra and Ruth, as well as her grandchildren Jasmyn, Jeremy, Sarah and Rachel, and her great grandchildren Francesca, Brendon, and Maddie.

Shirley and Paul raised their sons in Rochdale Village, a Queens-based housing development aimed at providing quality integrated housing for moderate income New Yorkers, a cause she and Paul were devoted to. She and Paul had numerous friends, with whom she shared active conversations, a commitment to progressive politics, and a love of arts and culture, particularly classical music. For decades, Shirley and Paul had a summer home in Western Massachusetts where they went to relax, enjoy the scenery and attend classical music concerts and other cultural events.

However, Shirley didn't just care about her family, relatives and friends, but her community, and not just her immediate neighbors. Working in tandem with Paul and while raising two active sons, she devoted herself to countless "causes," including opposing the Vietnam War, and fighting for civil rights, quality schools (she was an active PTA leader) and a livable New York City for low and moderate income people. Her sons fondly remember lively conversations about injustice and the need to address these injustices, which led them to be equally committed to fighting for a better world. She taught them to respect and welcome all, irrespective of race, gender, national origin, economic status, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

She will forever be missed for her openness, her love, her welcoming personality, and her wonderful sense of humor.