Janet Sylvia Rau Cohen Obituary (2008)

Janet Sylvia Rau Cohen of Overland Park, KS and formerly of Kansas City, MO passed away Tuesday, October 21,2008. Funeral services will be 2:00pm Thursday October 23 at The Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Avenue. Burial Rose Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Kehilath Israel Synagogue Library Fund or to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger or to the charity of your choice. Janet was born on December 15, 1916 in Gulfport, Mississippi, the daughter of Israel and Helen Rau. She moved with her family to New Orleans during The Depression. There, in 1942, she met, on a blind date, Harry K. Cohen, M.D., who was preparing to deploy to the Philippines as an Army general surgeon. After a brief World War II style courtship, they were married. Their marriage lasted 54 years until Harry’s death in 1996. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Emily Rau Levin and by her brother, Irving B. Rau. Janet is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Donald and Natalie Cohen of Overland Park, and her daughter and son-in-law, Laurie and Joel Tepper of Chapel Hill, NC. She is also survived by four grandchildren and three grandsons-in-law, Halley Cohen Romanoff (Daniel), Daniel Cohen, Miriam Tepper (Adam Bass), and Abigail Tepper (Agustin Chavez) and by four great-grandsons, Zekariah, Zohar, Samuel and Marcelo. Janet’s primary interest was her family. She also enjoyed reading, cooking, mah jong and bridge. She was a member of long-standing mah jong and bridge groups. Janet was a member of both Kehilath Israel Synagogue and The Temple Congregation B’nai Jehudah and their sisterhoods for many years and the Menorah Medical Center’s Women’s Auxillary. Janet will be remembered for her optimistic nature and for her wonderful sense of humor. She was beloved by her family and friends and will be greatly missed. The Family wishes to thank the nurses and staff at Village Shalom, both in the Alzheimer’s Unit and the Health Center, for their excellent care.