My Father

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With much love and sadness, I share that my father passed away this weekend after 92 years of a life well lived. He was a man of great intellect, incredible curiosity, a passion for art, architecture, and music, and a lifelong commitment to progressive values—peace, justice, and human rights. He loved cats and dogs and the beaches of Cape Cod. But above all else, he was a man who passionately loved his family, especially my mother, whom he adored for 67 years of marriage.

Those of you who follow my blog may have seen the occasional comments my dad left on the blog. He was a devoted reader of the blog and supportive of and fascinated in the family history I was uncovering. He also was a constant source of information about his family and, most importantly, the inspiration for all the research I have done about all my paternal lines (which is probably 80-90% of what I’ve done since I have had much more luck finding information about my father’s side than my mother’s side). I will miss him deeply and will undoubtedly share more about him as time goes on.

For now I am taking a short break from blogging, but I will return soon because I know he would have wanted me to continue telling the stories of his many relatives.

Here are just a few photos.

My father at 9 months old

John Nusbaum Cohen, Jr.

In the Navy

Florence and John Cohen 1951

My father with Nate June 2010

 

81 thoughts on “My Father”

  6. Amy, this is one of the hardest times you will face in life. How fortunate we are who have been blessed with such loving and caring fathers, who were never afraid to show their love and passion for their family. May all that you’ve shared comfort you, now and always.

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  11. Aw, I’m so sorry, Amy. He looks to be one of those people with a sparkle in his eyes. It shows. It shows as well that yours was a good relationship, something that can be a source of comfort in the days and weeks and months ahead. Thank you for sharing your photos. Sending hugs to you. ❤

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  12. Uncle John was the best. I always enjoyed talking to him and seeing him smile. Jeff was inspired by his thinking and the kids especially loved the idea of having an uncle who looked like Sean Connery. We will miss him!

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  16. Amy, I know words will never fill the void you’re feeling right now and soon you will possibly feel exhausted if you hear the words, “I’m sorry” one more time. But please know I regret that you have to endure this loss. Please take care of yourself.

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  19. Oh Amy I am so sorry to hear this. He sounds like a truly wonderful man. Thank you for sharing those lovely photographs. What a handsome kind man he was. All my love and thoughts with you and your family at this time. X

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  20. Amy, I am so very sorry for your loss. The word “adored” when speaking about the love your father had for your mother reminds me so much of the love my parents shared. I hope the loving memories you have of your dad will help you as you move through this phase of your life. It’s certainly something no one wants to ever have to go through yet some how you will make it through. My best to you and your family.

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  29. Dear Amy,

    I am sorry to hear about your father, and send you blessings for comfort. I am glad for the love you clearly felt for him and from him. May that sustain you, even though it is also painful.

    We have a bit of a parallel experience; my dear mother-in-law (mother-in-heart) died early this past Saturday, 2/16 after about 10 days of being either unresponsive or barely responsive.

    Wishing you everything you need during this tender time!

    With love, Meg 510-821-2561 cellphone

    >

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  34. Amy, my heartfelt condolences to you and your family at this sad time. I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences to your mother who must be heartbroken. I’m sorry I never had a chance to meet him; he sounds wonderful.

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    • Thank you, Sue. I am so glad I found you and your grandfather’s story so I could share it with my dad while he was still alive. And we will have to meet ourselves and toast them both. I will return to posting your grandfather’s family album in a week or so.

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  38. I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Your father looks to have been a beautiful person both inside and out. You can see his kindness in his eyes. You were so lucky to have had him all of those years. My father just turned 84, and I dread the day he leaves this earthly life
    No matter how long they are with us, we are never really prepared for their deaths, are we?

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    • No, we aren’t. I get comfort from knowing he lived a good long life and that I was so fortunate to have 66 years ago. But it is nevertheless hard to believe he is gone.

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  39. My condolences about your dad. I just lost mine too recently and wrote his eulogy (on my WP blog).
    I love the pictures you shared of your dad (and mom) here. And I totally understand about taking a break from blogging for awhile.
    Much love and many blessings as you grieve and heal. ❤️🦋🌀

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    • I am so sorry for your loss as well. I will look for the eulogy on your blog. It is a hard time, filled with challenges I hadn’t anticipated. But they say time heals. Thank you for reaching out to me.

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      • Thank you so much, Amy. Yes, each day my grief eases, then I feel guilty about that, and then I consciously choose to let that go. It really almost feels like a wound healing. That process. Ugh. 🥴
        My dad’s eulogy is the most recent post on my blog. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      • That describes how I feel so well. Thank you. I just finished reading your eulogy for your father. It is very beautiful and very sweet. He sounds like he was a wonderful husband and father. From the early photos, it seems he was a good deal younger than my father, who died at 92. Yet your dad lived to be a great-grandfather also. How wonderful!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Ah, yes. I saw your dad lived longer than my dad. My dad was almost 80. I sure thought he’d live a lot longer, as he looked the picture of health. As well, he was still getting around great, traveling and such.
        Thank you for reading his eulogy, Amy. You’re so sweet!

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      • He was relatively young. What a shock it must have been for your family, especially after losing your mother less than two years before.

        Liked by 1 person

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