Julian Lester Cohan

Julian (Julie) Cohan, a longtime resident of White Plains, died December 18, 2021. He was 93 years old.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to George and Mae Cohan and his family moved to White Plains when he was 16 years old.   He attended Syracuse University where he met his wife, who died August 1st of this year after 72 years of marriage.  They bought a house in 1958 and lived there for almost 64 years raising their three children.

During the first years of his married life, he owned two luncheonettes in White Plains called Hav-a-Snak.  He sold both places in the early 1960’s and established his own insurance agency which he operated until the mid-1990’s.   He was also the Executive Director of the Insurance Committee for 22 years, commuting to Albany a few days each week, when the New York State Senate was in session.

He was also active in the Jaycees, Rosedale Neighborhood Association, the White Plains Parking Authority, and the White Plains Beautification organization.  For more than 20 years, he was a member of The Old Guard of Westchester where he served as President, and continued to be a respected member participating weekly, until recently.  He was a talented photographer, documenting many years of domestic and international travel with his wife, played guitar for many years, was a wonderful pianist, a so-so bowler, a creative fix-it man, a fabulous cook, an entertaining storyteller, and the ultimate punster.

He took his obligations as a husband, father, and provider very seriously.  He had a wonderful sense of humor and imparted the importance of laughter on his wife and children.  This precious gift now resonates deeply in his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Despite his recent illness, remarkably, he retained this wit until the very end.

Although, over the past few months, he missed his recently deceased wife terribly, as was so often the case throughout his life, he did not complain.  He had an uncanny ability to accept things as they were and always considered himself to be very privileged to have lived such a long, happy, and productive life.  He will be missed!

Julie is preceded in death by his parents, George and Mae, and his wife, Greta (nee Schnur) and is survived by his younger sister, Toby Mortensen, his three children, Richard (Nina) Cohan, Gerald Cohan (Iris Alibeyah), Jody Prysock (Wallace), his grandchildren, Tia Pearson, Adam (Brooke) Cohan, Alexander Cohan, Jennifer Gill (Steven Marin), Lindsey Gill de Nieves (Jorge Nieves) Charles (Holly) Cohan, David Cohan, and Rebeka Cohan; great-grandchildren; Isabella, Gabrielle, Skylar, Charlotte, George, Ari, Tristan, and Clara.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Old Guard of Westchester at PO BOX 364, White Plains, NY 10603