Esther Rosenblatt Cohen, 86, teacher in William Penn district
Esther Rosenblatt Cohen, 86, a reading specialist in Delaware County for 18 years, died Thursday, Feb. 2, of complications from cancer at the Quadrangle retirement community in Haverford.
Esther Rosenblatt Cohen, 86, a reading specialist in Delaware County for 18 years, died Thursday, Feb. 2, of complications from cancer at the Quadrangle retirement community in Haverford.
Mrs. Cohen grew up in Dorchester, Mass. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts in 1946.
That year, she married William J. Cohen, whom she had met at a political rally in Boston. They raised six children in Springfield, Delaware County. After her family was grown, Mrs. Cohen was a reading specialist in the William Penn School District. While teaching, she earned a master's degree in education from West Chester University. She retired in 1994.
For years, Mrs. Cohen and her family summered in Maine, where her husband, a psychologist, was on the staff of a camp for children with disabilities.
To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in 1971, she and her husband began biking. For the next 30 years, they biked on vacations in the United States and Canada, in Israel, and all over Europe. They also traveled without bicycles to the Galapagos Islands, Japan, and Australia.
For ten years, Mrs. Cohen and her husband participated in the Pennsylvania Senior Olympics - she competed in swimming and walking events. After they moved to the Quadrangle in 1998, she and her husband participated in the "Friendship Games" athletic competition there. She was also a member of the French club and the play-reading and bell-ringing clubs at the Quadrangle. She enjoyed listening to NPR and classical music and going to the theater.
Mrs. Cohen is survived by daughters Nina Bohn, Dael, and Jan; sons Tod, Lee, and Seth; and four grandchildren. Her husband died in 2003.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at Main Line Unitarian Church, 816 S. Valley Forge Rd., Devon.
Donations may be made to the Bridgewater State University Foundation, for the Esther Rosenblatt Cohen '46 Annual Scholarship, 131 Summer St., Bridgewater, Mass. 02325.