Ralph Cohen, 95, passed away July 1 at the Kingwood Health Center. Ralph was born to Pauline and Ben Cohen in St. Louis on August 31, 1925. He attended the Taylor School in Clayton, MO and then one semester at Washington University before being drafted into the Army in 1943.
He had Basic Training at Camp Roberts in California and was assigned to the 86th Division at Camp Livingston in Louisiana. He served in Europe and the Pacific and was discharged in 1946. Having enjoyed the service time he spent in California, he decided to return there to complete his college work. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1949, and then went to work for the family company, Glasco Electric, in St. Louis.
In 1969, having been declared a “confirmed bachelor” by his friends, Ralph took on a family, Jan Martin Weston and her daughter Lindsay. Ralph and Lindsay developed a loving relationship, truly a father/daughter bond. A few months after their marriage the family moved to Dallas, Texas, where Ralph took over the presidency of Rawlinson Electric, which had been acquired by Glasco. They spent nearly eight happy years in Dallas.
Ralph had always wanted to try his hand at farming, so in 1976 he purchased a farm in northern Missouri and the family moved, first to the town of Unionville for two years while building a log house on their farm.
Ralph had taken several courses in ranching and farming techniques while living in Dallas. He now put those skills to use raising cattle, wheat and soybeans for almost 20 years. In 1995, he and Jan moved to Kansas City and built a house in the Red Bridge area where Ralph had a woodworking shop in the basement. His other activities included winter trips to Colorado to ski, attending a weekly meeting of the Aging Bulls at All Souls UU Church and lunches with neighbors and nephews. After 24 years there, they moved close-by to Kingswood Senior Independent Living in 2019.
Ralph and Jan had 52 years of marriage filled with travel and adventures, trips to Europe, Australia, South America, river and ocean cruises and a yearly trip to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico where they were joined by Lindsay and her husband from Chicago. Ralph was a kind and generous soul who gave amply to a number of charities and made friends wherever he went in his own quiet way. He was especially fond of the many cats and dogs that he and Jan had throughout their marriage.
Ralph was predeceased by his siblings, Myrl, Elaine and Milton Cohen. He leaves behind Jan, daughter Lindsay (Archie Edgar), his beloved cat Macho, nephews Jeffrey and Cliff (Paula) Cohen, niece Nancy (Bob) Cox, step-granddaughter Briana Ryan, special friends Dennis and Marilyn Brook, good neighbors Grady and Cindy Olson and Stephen Derrington and a host of friends throughout the Kansas City area and beyond.
Donations in Ralph’s memory may be made to the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church or any animal rights organization of your choice. Family and friends will gather at a later date to remember Ralph. Inurnment will take place at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in St. Louis. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.louismemorialchapel.com (Arrangements entrusted to The Louis Memorial Chapel, 816-361-5211).
