Doris Cohen
April 8, 2020

Doris Cohen; On Wednesday April 8, 2020, age 97, beloved wife of the late Bill (“Velvel”) Cohen and special companion of the late Boris Kentor.  A vibrant, generous, strong and fiercely loyal matriarch of her family.  “Gigi” enjoyed cooking and baking but derived the most pleasure from her family.  Gigi is survived by her loving daughter, Harriet Waters (William Waters) of Baton Rouge, LA, her doting grandsons, Matthew Cohen (Leslie Cohen) of Hollywood, FL, Howard Cohen (Nancy Cohen) of Weston, FL, Richard Cohen of Hollywood, FL (former spouse, Jeanne Cohen of Batavia, NY), Phillip Cohen (Jennifer Cohen) of Manlius, NY and Jason Waters (Adria Waters) of Columbia, MO and her devoted granddaughter, Janice Shapiro (Steven Shapiro) of Pittsburgh, PA and dear granddaughter Jocelyn Whitesides(Kevin Whitesides) of Columbia, MO.  Gigi is also survived by the true joys of her life, her many great grandchildren: Spencer Cohen, Brett Cohen, Samantha Cohen, Elizabeth Cohen, Hannah Shapiro, Tyler Shapiro, Alexis Cohen, Paul Cohen, Elise Cohen, Iliana Cohen, Finn Cohen, Devin Whitesides, Andrew Whitesides, Anthony Whitesides and Nathan Waters.  Gigi was proudly a career woman most of her adult life, working into her late 70’s.  She additionally took much pride in the time she and her husband spent in Baltimore working for the war effort during World War II.  Gigi spent the last 12 years in Pittsburgh, enjoying her surrounding Jewish community.  A special thank you to Weinberg Terrace for the 12 wonderful years they provided to her.  An even greater thank you to her past personal caregivers, LaShawn Wilkerson and Vernetta Howard.  A final very special thank you to Cartazhia Perry (and her mother, Linda and sister, Cadazhia) and Linda Rutherford, whose efforts, love and attention made Gigi’s last few years incredibly special and meaningful. Due to the COVID-19 virus, the family will be holding a memorial service via Zoom on Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 11:00 am.  If you are interested in attending, please email Doris’ granddaughter, Janice Shapiro, at steves0448@comcast.net with your email address to receive the Zoom invite.  Services and Interment PRIVATE. Donations can be made to AHRC New York City (Association for the Help of Retarded Children).  Over 70 years ago, Doris took it upon herself to place our intellectually disabled cousin, Gilda Lindenblatt, under her care and assumed full responsibility for obtaining the necessary resources to allow Gilda to flourish in a semi-independent environment by researching and contacting AHRC New York City).  AHRC has since housed Gilda, assisted with employment for Gilda and has provided both physical and emotional support to Gilda for decades, at no cost.  Through the years, Doris ensured Gilda’s well-being with continued visits, donations and direct contact with Gilda’s social worker.  Doris’ daughter and grandchildren continue to ensure Gilda’s well-being under the care of AHRC. Donations can be made at https://www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/donate/. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. www.schugar.com

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