Alan Ivan Cohn's Obituary
Dr. Alan Ivan Cohn, MD died on July 17th, 2022 at the age of 76. We called him “Al” and loved him very much.
Al was born in East Cleveland Ohio on September 23, 1945 to Ben and Freda Cohn, joining his sister Maxine and brother Herbie as the youngest of three. He attended Brush High School and earned his bachelors degree from Ohio State University. Al was awarded his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati and, in 1974, moved to Tucson, Arizona with his first wife Deborah for a nephrology fellowship with the University of Arizona. He and Deborah built a home in the Catalina Foothills and adopted their first child, Amanda, in 1976. After his fellowship, Al continued practicing medicine in Tucson, eventually starting his own practice with his partners Alex Rivero and Gary Saito. He took care of patients at St. Mary’s Hospital and Northwest Medical Center and was especially passionate about serving the people of the Tohono O’odham Nation at the Sells Indian Hospital in Sells, AZ. He met Gail and her son, Derek, in 1987 and he and Gail were married in 1993. Al practiced nephrology and internal medicine for nearly 40 years, retiring in 2017.
Al is remembered as a compassionate, humble, driven and adventurous man who treated every single person he encountered with kindness and respect. A life-long Democrat, Al cared deeply about progressive issues and social justice. He loved to collect art, read books, and watch movies. Al was a big fan of Cleveland sports and of the University of Arizona Wildcats - especially the Men’s Basketball team. He was a prolific traveler, having visited Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, to name a few. He loved dogs and he and Gail adopted several retired Greyhounds over the years.
Al is survived by his wife of 29 years, Gail, his step-son Derek Miller, daughter-in-law Michelle Llaguno, and sister Maxine Birrer. He is preceded in death by his daughter Amanda, first wife Deborah, and brother Herbie.
His funeral will be held at Evergreen Cemetery on July 20, 2022 at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Native American Advancement Foundation (https://www.naafnow.org) which helps serve the Tohono O’odham peoples of Southern Arizona.
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