MAX (MENDEL) COHEN

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MAX (MENDEL) COHEN June 15, 1917 - November 1, 2008 We mourn the loss, at age 91, of Max Cohen, the last of the Cohens of Dufferin Avenue. A true Northender , his outlook shaped by the Great Depression , he was a lifetime socialist and promoter of the working man. He was an avid reader, a charter member of the St. John's Library, though his formal education did not take him beyond Aberdeen school. His interest in current affairs was passionate and abiding. Max kept himself politically informed, and was always quick with a scathing criticism. Not surprisingly, he was a purveyor of the sports universe. His encyclopedic knowledge and sharp memory, even later in life, could take one back to before the designated hitter in baseball, or to the six team NHL, or to football played on real grass. Even more significantly, he was a living archive of local sports history from before the war and on...stories of valor and failure from the schoolyards and community arenas and industrial leagues of the city of Winnipeg. Max remained a bachelor, living in his mother's home for some time, contributing to her care. Later, on his own, he continued to put others' needs before his own; his connection to his sisters and brothers and his nieces and nephews was constant. He was predeceased by his sisters, Amy, Bertha and Martha; and his brothers, Nathan, Samuel, Israel and David. His passing is especially poignant in that the last footprint of his generation has vanished, the last voice which could link us to the early history of our family is silenced. Those of us remaining will do the best we can to remember without him. Mendel was smart, good and good-hearted; he was a steadfast and hardworking man. Up to the end, he was determined to maintain his independence. We will remember him lighting up a room with that big, beautiful smile!

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 06, 2008