Leonard Warren Cohen
July 18, 1937 ~ December 13, 2024
Dr. Leonard Warren Cohen passed away at the age of 87 on December 13, 2024 in the home he shared with his beloved bride of 37 years, Mosetta Sykes Cohen.
Leonard was born in New York City on July 18, 1937 and was the son of Saul Cohen and Roslyn Berchin Cohen. He lived in New York until his family relocated to Burbank, California in the 1940’s.
Always a gifted athlete, Leonard played football and basketball, but baseball was his true passion. He went to San Fernando Valley State and played on the baseball team. As a lefty, he tried his hand at pitching, but his lanky frame (and most likely a poor pitching skill) landed him firmly at first base. He was a good hitter. During the school year he would play baseball and then during the summers he lived in Oregon where he played baseball on a factory team (a cannery specifically). They would work for the cannery a little and play baseball a lot. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates and assigned to play in Arizona. During his first game he got a bloop hit into the outfield but tore a ligament in his knee running the bases and "that was that."
Baseball no longer being an option, Leonard completed a program in education and began working as a teacher.
Leonard was drafted into the Army. While in the Army, he became a social work specialist and would continue working in social work and government systems in one way or another throughout his career.
With the heart of a wanderer and a love of adventure, his life traversed the globe. Leonard married and his sons Guy and Shawn were born. They moved onto a boat and traveled the Caribbean islands. Leonard taught English and gave scuba lessons. Leonard was always willing to speak up when he saw what he felt were unjust circumstances. Both the unfairness and the solutions seemed obvious to him and he would do everything in his power to right the situation. He lobbied unsuccessfully for better educational resources for the local schools and eventually wore out his welcome.
Leonard's second passion (baseball being his first) was for helping people find work and, through work, make a place for themselves in the world. He was always seeking to find people a pathway out of unfortunate circumstances and toward success. He developed criminal justice reform programs in various states. He specialized in unique programs that overlapped education and employment, working with people who had special personal, educational, family, and employment-related problems. Eventually, he compiled his experiences and techniques and wrote his book “Choosing to work: An Action-Oriented Job Finding Book.”
He worked for the State Department with a Top Secret clearance. He conducted systemic policy studies for the U.S. Civil Service, evaluated the circumstances of State Department employee deployment, and made referrals for placing staff who were relocating away from field work.
Leonard moved to Jacksonville to work for the Vet Center as a vocational rehabilitation specialist. There he counseled Vietnam-era veterans with issues adjusting to returning home with a focus on employment and training. He was separated now and a mutual friend Ann Yon introduced Leonard to Mosetta and they were kindred spirits.
Leonard eventually retired and he and Mosetta sold the house and nearly all its contents, bought an RV and wandered together. They decided they wanted to own a home-base again in addition to rambling in the RV. Mosetta was a graduate of the University of Florida Law School and they decided to move to the Gainesville area and bought a house near Newnan's Lake.
They had no furniture or supplies for the house, but Leonard said he would make arrangements to get everything they needed— so he bought a hot tub and a big concrete alligator for the yard.
Leonard adopted the Gators as his hometown team. Leonard and Mosetta supported every men's and women's team at UF— gymnastics, football, basketball, volleyball, and, of course, baseball. They traveled in the RV to away games and tournaments. Friends would come to stay with them and tailgate together before football games. They became close friends with the baseball season ticket-holders who sat nearby.
Leonard and Mosetta would ride their tandem bike along the Hawthorne Rail Trail. They would swim regularly at the O’Connell Center or at one of Gainesville’s public pools.
Leonard found a waterproof way to listen to music while he swam and he would listen to gospel music because he said it had the perfect rhythm for swimming. He would periodically take a fancy to a type of music or a song. While he was in and out of the hospital over the past several months, he decided his new favorite song was one he'd heard the VW Boys perform at a restaurant in Virginia many years ago titled "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore." As he rolled down to nuclear imaging they asked if he wanted to put on music during the procedure. He had them find that song and had the whole ward playing it and laughing by the time he came back.
Crevasse's Simple Cremation is honored to serve The Cohen Family.
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Leonard was a good soul and his passion for sports was quite evident .I enjoyed meeting and talking with him and my cousin, Mosetta over seafood years back .As a longtime NY Yankees fan, it was nice talking about the historic teams and Florida Gators. Rest in peace