Suzanne Cohn

Suzanne Mandel Cohn, 79, died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on the morning of Monday, June 9, 2014. Born in Chicago in 1934 to Gladys Jenks and Sidney Mandel, Sue came south to attend the University of North Carolina Womens College in Greensboro, where she met her loving husband and life partner Herb her freshman year. After their marriage in 1954, Sue and Herb travelled the east coast during his Navy service, living in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Florida before settling in Chattanooga. Sue completed her Sociology degree at the University of Chattanooga and gave birth to three children Geoffrey, Amy and Gerry. Sue was employed as a social worker at Moccasin Bend Hospital, as the executive director of the American Heart Association, and in the Continuing Education Division of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A tireless volunteer and organizer, Sue lived a life of giving to others, be it family, friends, synagogue, community, or strangers she met on the street. With a lifelong commitment to civil rights and those less fortunate, she was a founding member of the Panel of American Women, which built bridges and understanding between people of differing backgrounds and faiths. She was a founding member and board chair of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. She established the KOOL project, recruiting volunteers to knit afghans for Hospice patients and caps for premature newborns. She and her husband Herb established the Geoffrey Sidney Cohn fund at the Community Foundation of Chattanooga to support college education for promising students of need. She received numerous awards of recognition for her service to community, including the American Lung Association Woman of Distinction, the JC Penney Golden Rule Award, and the Partnership for Families Family of the Year award. Sue was active in all aspects of her synagogue, Mizpah Congregation, with particular love for social action, music, and welcoming newcomers into the community. She was known by all for her knitting, needlepoint, legendary baking skills, and highly competitive card games with her grandchildren. Sue is survived by her husband of 59 years, Herb; daughter, Amy and son-in-law, Jon Cohen, of Signal Mountain; son, Gerry Cohn, of Chapel Hill, (N.C.); sister, Joan Arenberg, of Chicago; brother, Roger and sister-in-law, Betsy Mandel, of Chicago; five grandchildren, Geoffrey Cohen, of Montpellier (France), Ethan Cohen, of Signal Mountain, Esther Cohn, of Chapel Hill, Aliza Cohen, of Signal Mountain, and Jethro Cohn, of Chapel Hill; and seven beloved nieces and nephews and their families. The family invites friends to gather for a memorial service to celebrate Sues life at Mizpah Congregation at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 13. The family will be available for visitation in the synagogue beginning at noon. Burial will follow the service at Mizpah Congregation Cemetery. The family requests that memorial contributions be made in Sue's honor to the Mizpah Congregation Endowment Fund (923 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37403), or the Chattanooga Area Food Bank (2009 Curtain Pole Road, Chattanooga, TN 37406), designated in memory of Suzanne Cohn. Funeral arrangements have entrusted to Advantage Funeral Cremation Services Franklin-Strickland-Pinkard-Bryan-Smith Funeral Directors, 1724 McCallie Ave., 423-265-4414.