Funeral Details

Lisa Cohen was born on July 3, 1928 in Frankfurt Am Mein, and after fleeing Germany, grew up in Kew Gardens New York; she died January 26, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. Lisa married her husband Josh in 1949. They moved to Chicago in 1950, and then in 1960 to Evanston, where he died in 2015. She is survived by her four sons, Matthew, Jonathan, Shaul and Ethan, and their families.

Though she didn't speak English when she arrived in America in 1939, Lisa and her older sister Eva quickly adapted to life in New York, and the many opportunities it offered. She attended Queens College in New York, and soon thereafter met and married Josh prior to completing her BA. When they moved to Chicago, she briefly attended Roosevelt University's undergraduate program and then began
graduate work in psychology at the University of Chicago, where she received a Master's Degree from the Committee on Human Development. While living in Hyde Park, she worked as the Executive Director of a nursery school and then worked with Bruno Bettleheim at the Orthogenic School of the University of Chicago. She also graduated from the Child Therapy Program of the Institute for Psychoanalysis, where she remained involved as an instructor for many years. For over 30 years, she worked as a therapist, supervisor and senior clinician at the Irene Josselyn Clinic in Northfield, Illinois, where she was involved in the training of many younger colleagues. She was on the faculty at the Institute for Clinical Social work, and had a private therapy practice. She also periodically taught courses on child development and provided ongoing supervision for a number of therapists in the Chicago area, and found great satisfaction in her many contributions to the welfare and happiness of those she worked with, whether patient or colleague.

A lifelong advocate of civil and human rights, she never fully escaped the effects of her childhood, and remained mindful of the challenges in maintaining a safe and democratic society. She loved to explore New England, particularly enjoyed the coast of Maine, and was very fond of swimming in Lake Michigan. Lisa was passionate about her work, was a devoted friend, and, most of all, loved her family and took great joy in their visits and in sharing their lives and accomplishments.

A memorial service will be held for Lisa on Friday, February 1, at 10:30AM at the Mather, 450 Davis St., Evanston, Il. 60201, followed by a private burial. A Shiva/Visitation will be held back at the Mather at 1:15 on Friday.

Donations may be made in Lisa's honor to the Illinois Society for Clinical Social Work or the USC Shoah Foundation.