Hope Barbara Cowen Solomons

Hope Barbara Cowen Solomons, passed away Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Iowa City. A Memorial is being planned for next spring. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Oaknoll Foundation, Iowa City Hospice, or the University of Iowa College of Nursing. Hope was raised in Providence, RI, and earned her BA from Clark University, her MS in psychology from Wellesley College and EdD from Boston University. Hope met Gerald Solomons on a blind date in 1955 and they were engaged six weeks later. Throughout their 67-year marriage they could be seen holding hands and exchanging kisses. As Hope said at the time of her husband's death in 2023, "67 years was not long enough." They shared a love of research, art, food, and travel. Each had a delicious sense of humor. In later years, when Hope was asked the secret to their long and successful marriage, she replied: "Gerry is always right, and I never listen!" Hope was a woman ahead of her time and a Renaissance woman. She was intent on having an academic career and began by teaching psychology at the Rhode Island School of Design. A lifelong learner, she availed herself of courses while at RISD, learning to sew, among other skills. She sewed her children's clothes; when she sewed for herself, she often made a matching tie for Gerry. In retirement she became a skilled knitter and began beadingâ€"making beautiful creations for her family and friends as well as establishing a business, Beads by Hope. Her manual dexterity belied her age; even into her mid-80s she would create masterful beaded creations strung with needles the width of a hair. Her interest in the arts went well beyond her own skill. She loved opera and she and Gerry were patrons of the arts, donating their collection of Ledger drawings and pre-Columbian sculptures to the Stanley Museum of Art. Hope was also an excellent cook and loved having people over for a meal. Her friends recall these evenings with great pleasure. Hope was a member of the faculty of the College of Nursing at the University of Iowa, where she remained until her retirement in 1984. Hope was a skilled teacherâ€"making complex concepts understandable--and a meticulous editor. She loved teaching and, even as she became frailer, she was thrilled to have students involved in her care and would happily talk about research and teaching. In retirement, Hope and Gerry travelled the world, exploring off the beaten track countries, such as Morocco, Bhutan, India, China and Thailand. They documented their travels in photographs, and both were active members of the IC Camera Club. Following a fall in 2019, which left Hope in a wheelchair and compromised her nimble fingers, her life, physical and cognitive abilities, and interests were diminished. Even so, she continued to smile, express her deep gratitude for what she did haveâ€"listening to and watching opera or The Great British Baking Show AND several more years with the handsome and debonair Gerry Hope was a role model for her daughters, encouraging them academically, teaching them crafts, and imparting her wisdom. Hope had many mantras, a favorite of her daughters was when they did something they shouldn't, she said "I may not like the things you do, but I shall always love you." It was said often enough by the family that her grandson, Nick, at age three, once repeated these words to the dog when she messed in the house. Hope had a great intellect, a generous heart, a ready smile, and took great joy in the love of family and friends. She will be missed. Hope was predeceased by the love of her life, Gerry in 2023; and parents, Anna and Morris Cowen. She is survived by her daughters, Nan Solomons (Judy Spross) of Portland, ME, and Mary Solomons (Ovidio Rojas) of Saratoga Springs, NY; and grandson Nick Turner (Taylor Staiger) of Kingston, RI. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lensingfuneral.com