Murray Cohen, 1929-2022

Feb 1, 2022

Murray Cohen, 92, of Delphos, Ohio, and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, passed away on Dec. 7, 2021.

Cohen is survived by his wife, Barbara Safran Cohen, daughters Roberta (Alan) Cohen and Jennifer (Ami) Shneiderman, and stepson Jared (Lauren) Safran and his sister, Irma Schechter. He was an adored grandfather to Claire Cohen, Andrew Cohen Jacob Shneiderman, Maya Mahoney and Alexander Safran. Murray was a loving husband, father, father-in-law, uncle, grandfather and friend to many people.

He was born on August 30, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Ethel (Nassofer) and Nathan Cohen. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York, Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and received his master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He was married to Barbara Safran Cohen for 29 years. He was passionate about the community newspaper business and purchased his first newspaper, the Delphos Herald Inc., in 1962. Over the years that followed, he bought weekly community newspapers throughout the upper Midwest, including northwest Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, southern Indiana and Kentucky. He was active in the Inland Press Association (now America’s Newspapers) and the National Newspaper Association. His daughter, Roberta Cohen, will continue to run the newspapers.

Murray had a great sense of adventure and fun. He loved ballroom dancing, playing tennis, travel and much more. He contributed to many nonprofit organizations and created a foundation named in honor of his parents that he and his daughters used to donate to a wide range of organizations supporting the arts, Jewish institutions, mental health/recovery and other charitable causes.

It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Murray Cohen may do so by making a contribution to:

Doctors Without Borders-USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030. They can be called at (888) 392-0392. Visit the Doctors Without Borders’ website.