William Cohn

William "Bill" Cohn passed away at home on July 8, 2022, after a short, fierce battle with pancreatic cancer. Beloved husband of Jan. Loving father of Andy and Matt. Dear brother of Ken. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, friends and countless Wayne State University students. During his long and illustrious career as a Professor of Mathematics, he won a University Teaching Award, published many papers in Complex Analysis, and served as Department Chair.
He also taught in WSU's honors-level Emerging Scholars Program. By offering students a high level of support, the program encourages participation by women and minority students who might not have otherwise considered careers in mathematics and other technical fields. All his students appreciated his beautifully thought out and reasoned lectures.
The son of Richard and Mildred (nee Elias) Cohn, Bill grew up in New Rochelle, New York. His first job was at a chicken farm, which might account for his life-long aversion to eggs. Many summers were spent at Camp Powhatan, Maine, where his nick-name was 'Big Fish'. He did his undergraduate work at Oberlin College, and earned a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1978. After teaching for a year each at the University of Oklahoma and Syracuse University, he joined the faculty of Wayne State University, from which he had not yet retired.
Bill's life was centered around his family and his many interests. Bill talked about the Detroit Tigers with son, Andy, philosophy with son, Matt, and food and music with wife, Jan. It is not known what he and the dog talked about. A voracious reader, he liked everything from DC Comics to Euripides (and while it was rumored that some of the Euripides was of the 'Classics Comics' version, there was never even a whisper that the Henry James was). Bill was as at-home on land, running, as he was in the water, swimming. His wry and dry sense of humor was as carefully timed as his ability to know just when to flip the burgers on the grill. The only thing that he did not time well was his passing.
Bill touched many people with his kindness and his calm spirit. It is with sadness, but also love and gratitude, that we bid him farewell.
Memorial service Saturday, July 30th at 11:30am at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church, 23925 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield. Memorial donations to the church or WSU Department of Mathematics Scholarship Fund. Please share a memory at SulivanFuneralDirectors.com