Virginia Beach —Eleanor Simon Cohen, 96, passed away peacefully at home on August 17, 2015. Eleanor had an amazing and long life, always full of adventure.
Born in Norfolk, she attended Maury High School and later married the love of her life for more than 50 years, Irvin H. Cohen. She went on to study art at Old Dominion University with artists Charles Sibley, Ken Daily and Victor Pickett. Her passion for art led her to classes in San Miguel, Mexico, Palm Beach, Fla. with Paul Jenkins, and classes in Nice, France at the International Academy d’Ete. She was in many shows, both local and national, from Norfolk to Atlanta to Palm Beach. She won second place in the Irene Leache Memorial show at the Chrysler Museum.
Eleanor was never a follower, and was always a trend-setter. She studied French at the Sorbonne in 1959–1960 and reported on fashion and culture for The Virginian- Pilot while in France.
Golf was another passion for her. She won the Portsmouth Amateur Golf Championship in 1952, and was an avid golfer at the Cavalier Golf Club. Eleanor also worked with many community organizations, including being a Grey Lady with the Red Cross during WWII , serving as President of the Churchland Elementary School PTA, and was a member of Temple Sinai in Portsmouth, Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk, B’Nai Brith, The Chrysler Museum, MOCA, and the Norton Museum in Palm Beach.
All that knew her adored her, and her friendships were measured in decades, not years.
Eleanor is predeceased by her parents, Nathan and Esther Simon, as well as her sisters Nettie Nelson and Vera Fox, and her husband Irvin Cohen, as well as her son in law, Lee David Cohen.
Her spirit lives on in her brother and sister-in-law, Eddie and Sylvia Simon, her daughters, Arleen Cohen (Lee, obm) and Susan Ticknor (Malcom), and her grandchildren Benjamin Cohen and Alexander Getsinger (Kim). She also will be missed by her great-grandchildren Barbara, David and Aaron Cohen, and her nephews Marc Simon (Mady) and Robert Simon (Karen), and Dale Fox.
Services were held at Ohef Sholom Temple in the Sinai Chapel. Burial was private. Memorial donations to Ocean Park Rescue Squad, MOCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art) in the name of the Cohen Family Memorial Fund. Condolences can be sent to www.sturtevantfuneralhome.com.