Oleksandr Kogan

1964 - 2018

OLEKSANDR (ALEX) KOGAN Dr. Oleksandr (Alex) Kogan, 54, of Wilmington, NC, passed away surrounded by his family on November 6, 2018 after two years of courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Odessa, Ukraine on April 5, 1964 to Samariy Kogan and Maya Grushko. In 1986 he graduated from Odessa State University. Alex was always a "science guy," who expressed deep interest in scientific innovations and breakthroughs, which is what drove him to then receive his PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1993. He met his wife Olga in 1989 and they got married in 1992 in Moscow, Russia. In 1999 Alex and his family moved to America, and he started working for Corning as an optical engineer. His love and passion for his job gained him much respect from his colleagues as well as receiving numerous awards for outstanding work. He found a new home in North Carolina. He loved the ocean, which reminded him of his childhood on the coast of the Black Sea. He enjoyed travelling, photography, art, and music. He loved life, never stopped wondering, had an amazing sense of humor, and had the most vibrant smile in the world. He was strong, brave, compassionate, optimistic, and handsome. He had a tremendous passion for knowledge and education and shared it with those around him. He will be missed so much by many. He is survived by his beloved wife Olga Kogan; daughter and "apple of his eye" Anya Kogan, who followed in his footsteps and obtained an advanced degree in Physics; parents Samariy Kogan and Maya Grushko, that he greatly cherished and adored; childhood best friends Yuriy Milsteyn and Yury Michel; as well as numerous friends from around the world and his silly cats Max, Gary, and Creamsicle. A Memorial Service will be held at Coble Ward-Smith on Monday, November 12, 2018 at 1pm with Rabbi Emily Losben-Ostrov officiating. Shiva will be held at Temple of Israel in the Reibman Center on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 6:30pm. The family would like to send its sincere appreciation to his co- workers at Corning for all their tremendous support and kindness, and all the wonderful people in the Zimmer Cancer Center, especially Dr. McNulty, Jr. and his team, Chrissy, Angie, and Amy. Also, a thank you to Dr. Sanoff from UNC Comprehensive Cancer Center. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Zimmer Cancer Center. Online condolences may be made at www.coblewardsmithwilmington.com