David Paul Cohen

November 8th, 2024

Our deepest condolences to Sheryl and the whole family.

~Ady and Steve Avram
~Cousins, Montreal, Canada

November 4th, 2024

Although it has been a lifetime since I have seen Sheryl or Dave, I remember Dave during their engagement being so utterly happy and in love with Sheryl, and her family, Every Single Day.

~Sally J Gray
~Out-of-state old high school friend of Sheryl, Clermont, Florida

November 3rd, 2024

Sending love to the entire family. Xo

~Erika and Jeffrey Siegel
~Friends of Ron and Shara, Gladwyne , PA

November 2nd, 2024

“He Took His Rings Off”

One of my favorite memories of Dave Cohen, or “Dave-O” as we all called him, happened on the way home from a day at a water park. It was a typical outing, with Dave volunteering—as he often did—to play chauffeur for us. That afternoon, it was me, Ronnie, Aaron, and Aaron’s friend all packed into the car, heading home from Mystic Waters, still dripping and exhausted. I thought nothing out of the ordinary would happen—but then again, we were with Aaron.

See, at the water park, Aaron and his buddy had somehow managed to catch the eye of a few local tough guys. Maybe it was a look, or maybe a little bit of sass, but by the time we pulled out of the parking lot, Aaron and his friend had managed to gain a few new “friends.” These guys were older, bigger, and not exactly looking to avoid trouble.

So, there we were, cruising down the road with Dave at the wheel when suddenly this car full of teenagers pulls up behind us. Without missing a beat, Aaron, not surprisingly, flips them off. Naturally, this makes them laugh—but they weren’t about to just let it slide. What followed was a classic game of “bumper bravado,” with their car swerving at us, cutting us off, and basically treating the road like their own private racetrack.

As this scene unfolded, Dave-O, calm as ever, just asked us who these guys were. Aaron, true to form, insisted he was entirely innocent and that they were obviously the troublemakers. Dave didn’t respond right away; instead, he just started taking off his rings, one by one, while steering with one hand. I can still picture him handing over his chunky rings—most likely a wedding band, a couple of class rings, hopefully a World Series ring in the mix—to Ronnie, asking him to stash them in the glove compartment.
I couldn’t resist asking, “Dave, why are you taking off your rings?” He glanced over with that steady calm of his and said, “Just in case there’s a fight. Ronnie, put these in the glove box.”

Here we were, a carload of suburban kids, watching this middle-aged, inner-city substitute teacher get ready to defend us if things went south. He wasn’t revving up or shouting, just steady, composed, and ready. I remember thinking, Dave is the coolest guy ever. My dad? He’d never throw a punch, let alone drive us to a water park in the first place.

That was Dave-O—always calm, always collected, always, always kind. Mr. C, you’ll be missed more than words can say. But if you’re on your way to heaven, could you swing by Dominic’s first? Sheryl forgot something.

~Billy Orkin
~Friend of Ronnie, Plymouth, Minnesota