Lauren Ann Cohen

Dr. Lauren Ann Cohen, PhD

 After a 2 1/2 year battle against cancer, Lauren Cohen passed away Wednesday, February 12. She is survived by her two sons David and Benjamin, her husband Irving, and her two brothers and their wives Richard and Nancy of Beaver Creek, Ohio and Jerry and Lynda of Albany, New York. Lauren was born in Albany, NY in 1949 to David Cohen and Sylvia Bernstein Cohen. She graduated high school in Albany and was the first of her family to attend college. She worked her way through the University of Rochester by waiting tables and using scholarships. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and went on to graduate school at the University of Maryland in College Park. She earned her Master's degree went on to obtain her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology in 1974. She remained in Maryland, moving to Baltimore to work at the Johns Hopkins University Kennedy Krieger Institute for disabled children. Because of the patients' severe multiple disabilities, she often had to develop new techniques for neuropsychological evaluation when standard testing could not be conducted. 

She met her future husband Irving at a social event and both laughed when they realized they shared a last name. That later proved problematic when they married. At the Baltimore marriage license bureau they had to explain they were not cousins and Internal Revenue Service wanted proof they really were married. When they met, her husband was a Resident Physician in Internal Medicine and transferred to a Preventive Medicine residency and Chief Residency at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. When those were completed after the birth of their first son David, they moved to Buffalo, New York. There, she worked at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo again doing complex neuropsychological evaluations of young children. After the birth of her second son Benjamin the family sought a warmer climate and moved to Topeka in 1991. She worked as a Clinical Psychologist at Family Service and Guidance Center for years before becoming a consultant to Kansas Disability Determination Services where she continued until recently. She was quickly pulled into community service through Temple Beth Sholom. She was Chair of Sisterhood, member and Chair of Temple Board and involved in many activities. Appointed by the Governor to the Kansas State Holocaust Commission, she was extremely active in obtaining annual speakers, setting the agenda, and writing much of the yearly presentation. She served as chair or co-chair over many terms. All this was done as she developed a love affair for the Royals, Jayhawks and Chiefs. Trivia contests were her other passion until she discovered a larger world, and developed a fondness for travel, particularly ocean cruising. 

She will be deeply missed by her husband and her sons, all of whom severely loved and appreciated her and hopefully let her know that often enough. Her many loyal friends will also dearly miss her. There will be a memorial service at 11 AM on Monday, February 17 at Temple Beth Sholom, 4200 SW Munson. This will be followed by graveside service at Mount Hope Cemetery for those who wish to attend. All are then welcome to return to the temple for a light lunch and further sharing of their memories. She had requested that in lieu of sending flowers, those who wish send donations in her memory to either the Kansas Holocaust Commission (in care of the Temple) or to Hope Lodge (a resource for cancer patients) at 1120 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64105.