Gary Edward Cohen

SPOTSWOOD – GARY EDWARD COHEN passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2025. He was 71 years old.
Gary grew up in the East New York and Bensonhurst areas of Brooklyn. He attended Lafayette High School and took special interest in basketball and teaching himself to play the guitar. Following graduation, he studied marine geology at Brooklyn College and later sold shoes at Branca Shoes on Avenue U. Later, he embarked on a thirty-year career with the U.S. Postal Service until his retirement in 2018.
Gary married the love of his life, Frances Lucille Santoro on November 1, 1980 at The Landmark in East Rutherford. Together, the couple moved to North Bergen, NJ and then later bought their first home in Carteret, NJ. In Carteret, they welcomed their children, Ian (wife Loni) and Brittany (husband Dan), to whom Gary was a devoted and loving father and later grandfather to Adam and James. In 2002, they moved to Spotswood where they lived until his passing.
Gary was proud to be from Brooklyn, which fueled his defining fandom of Bugs Bunny. Forever a child at heart, Gary's love for Bugs spanned most of his life and manifested in a significant trove of collectibles and paraphernalia.
Gary also found joy in music and baseball. He was a gifted singer who loved to play and sing classic rock. For many years he was part of a merry band of friends – the Watering Can Band - who would play shows for charity events and senior communities. He was also an avid fan of the Yankees and played many seasons of slow pitch softball with his Postal Service coworkers.
Gary brought laughter and joy to the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing him. His exuberant energy and humor were a gift and his passing has left a void in the hearts of his family and friends. Those who knew Gary will remember him for his infectious smile and playful wit, his jokes, and his love for Bugs Bunny.
Gary is predeceased by his parents, Irving "Red" and Selma Cohen.
Surviving are his wife of 45 years, Frances (née Santoro) Cohen of Spotswood; his son, Ian Cohen and his wife, Loni, of Columbia, MD; his daughter, Brittany Cohen-Locke and her husband, Dan, of Jackon, NJ; his brother, Alan Cohen; and his grandsons, Adam Cohen and James Cohen.
A chapel service will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at 10:45 am, at MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL CHAPELS, 454 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick, NJ. Entombment will follow at Woodbridge Memorial Gardens, Woodbridge, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for consideration of donations to one of the following organizations in remembrance of Gary: Mothers Against Drunk Driving New Jersey, American Diabetes Association, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital of New Brunswick.
For directions, please view our "Events" listed below.