Mort Cohn

Mort Cohn, a former mayor of the city of Monroe, died early morning Monday at Monroe Mercy Memorial Hospital after brief illness. He was 85 years old. Born in Toledo, he was the son of Jay and Martha Cohn. The family moved to Monroe when Mr.Cohn was six and—except for the years of military service--he lived in or near Monroe for his entire life. As a youth he was an athletic prodigee, played varsity golf at Michigan (earning a letter there in 1948), and won seven Monroe Golf and Country Club championships. Golf for him was a lifelong passion, and he fostered many great friendships on the golf course. At the outset of WWII he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served as lead navigator for the 397th Bomber squadron based in the Galapagos Islands and Panama. He flew search and patrol missions in the defense of the Canal, principally in B-24's and B-17's, and left the service as a first lieutenant. Mr. Cohn earned a bachelor’s in Economics from Michigan in 1948 and a law degree from the University of Toledo in 1980. He worked as a retailer in the family furniture business and in jewelry, established his own promotions company, and practiced law until recently. In 1966 he was elected mayor and was instrumental in passing a long overdue open housing ordinance, and secured millions of federal dollars for construction of a waste water treatment plant. Later he served as executive director of the Port of Monroe. Mr. Cohn was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and remained interested in politics for the rest of his life. He was preceded in death by a niece, Randy Goldman, of Washington, D.C. Surviving him are his wife Jean (Dushane) Cohn; brother Fred Cohn of Toledo; sisters Jean Gordon of Toledo and Dorothy Casler of Newton, Mass.; daughter Laura and grandson Benjamin McBride of Monroe; son Mort, Jr. (Jackie) and grandson Joseph Cohn of Ann Arbor; and five nieces and nephews. Friends may call from four to six on Wednesday at Bacarella Funeral Home and an informal service will be held at six. In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to the Humane Society of Monroe.

Mort Cohn

December 8, 2008