Eleanor S. "Ellie" Paterson

1940 - 2024

Paterson, Eleanor S. "Ellie"

Jan 16, 1940 - Jun 22, 2024

Of Saratoga Springs, NY. Known professionally as Eleanor Cohen, age 84, passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the Home of The Good Shepherd in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her eldest son Robert, his wife Victoria, and their son Dylan were by her side the evening before she passed. Cohen was born on January 16, 1940, in Boston, MA, one of two children born to Phil and Anne Cohen. She was an accomplished painter. Before the birth of the #MeToo movement, she was part of a generation that ushered in the rise of feminism in the American art scene. After receiving her education at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in high school, the California College of Arts and Crafts, and the Massachusetts College of Art, she traveled throughout Europe. For a brief time, she lived in San Francisco while solidifying her artistic style. She married award-winning sculptor-husband Tony Paterson and settled in Buffalo, New York. From then on, she lived and worked in the Upstate New York region. While not raising two children, Cohen spent her time painting in her studio while earning a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. She then became a bilingual educator and was Director of the ESL Student Support Center at Erie Community College (ECC). A well-respected and beloved member of her community in Buffalo, Cohen spent her career advocating for the rights of women, educators, and the Jewish, Native American, and Latino populations in Western New York. She was intimately involved with the Hispanic Women's League in Buffalo, New York. As an artist, Cohen's works are often brazenly traditional, while others are imbued with a darkness that predates goth culture. Cohen's output consists of oil paintings, etchings, and drawings, pulling from a sublime mix of landscapes, flora, animals, and the human form. Cohen is survived by her brother Carl, his wife Suzanne, and their children; her son Robert, his wife Victoria, and their son Dylan; her son David, his wife Jung-Ah, and their son Philip, as well as numerous cousins. A Celebration of Life event will be held in September 2024 in Saratoga Springs, NY, with a specific date, time, and location to be announced later. In place of flowers or gifts, her family requests donations in support of a fellowship in her name: mostlymodernprojects.org/support.