Paul M. Cohan

obituary

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our dear brother,

Paul M. Cohan, 54, Paul passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, November 14, 2020.

Paul was born in North Reading, the son of the late William E. and Frances T. (Tobin) Cohan. He attended North Reading public schools until the 8th grade, after which he attended Austin Preparatory School, graduating in 1983. Shortly after graduating UMass Lowell with a Bachelors Degree in Engineering in 1987, Paul moved to San Francisco and spent many years continuing to build his career and started his own high tech/engineering recruiting firm, working most of his adult life as a quality recruiter of high tech talent.

Paul touched so many lives on both the East and West Coasts. He was so full of life and would light up a room when he entered it. He was kind, warm and popular and had a heart of gold, and always kept you laughing. Paul never had an unkind word to say and had such an incredibly quick wit. Paul enjoyed being with his family and so many close friends, and you could always count on him to be the life of the party. He was a true brother and friend; honest, caring and forthright. Life as we know it will forever change with this terrible loss of Paul.

Paul was multi-talented. He was an avid, excellent skier and loved the outdoors.   He loved traveling with his friends, listening to music and loved animals. Paul also had a natural and beautiful voice for singing and after learning to play the drums from the drummer of The Tubes rock band, he proudly played the drums in Bootie Cooler, a band he formed with close friends out West. He frequently played in the local venues in San Francisco and was followed by many.

Paul is survived by his sisters, Tracey F. Lacroix and Mary K. Dascoli, both of Andover, and his brothers, Mark R. Cohan of Lowell, Michael J. Cohan and his wife Patricia (Demetri) Cohan of New Jersey, Christopher T. Cohan of Andover, John F. Cohan and his wife JoAnne M. (Krocker) Cohan of Tewksbury and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother William Cohan Jr (Billy) a North Reading police officer. Paul was the beloved Godfather of Cassidy M. Cohan of Tewksbury.

Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, there will be private visitation on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at Croswell Funeral Home. His funeral Mass will be open to all friends and family and will be held at St. Augustine Church, 43 Essex Street, Andover, MA on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 11:00 AM, followed by Interment at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to American Cancer Society.  www.croswellfuneralhome.com

34 thoughts on “Paul M. Cohan”

  4. My condolences to the whole family. Paul was one of my brother’s close friends, and growing up he was a (sometimes better than my actual) big brother to me. He will sadly be missed.

  6. With our heartfelt condolences at the desperately sad and unexpected passing of Paul. Rest in Peace.

  7. I’ve known Paul since we were kids, we kept in touch over the years, and every time we talked it felt like we were 15 years old again. We had a lot of memorable times, he could p1ss you off one second, then make you laugh the next…My condolences to the family for losing such a massive personality. Godspeed…

    1. Thank you so much Jim for your kind kind words. We are so devastated by our baby brothers loss. Words cannot describe how horrible we feel. Only God knows.

    2. This is so beautiful spoken, Jim. A “massive personality” indeed. Paulie was an amazing drummer in our band, and I am forever grateful I had the joy of singing and playing music with him. Pure joy he had in him for sure. Peace be with you, Paulie.

  8. So sorry for the loss of your beloved brother Paul.
    My thoughts and prayers are with all of this family during this hard times

  9. We are very sorry to hear of Paul’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you
    Laurie Hall

  11. Condolences to the family. Paul seemed like part of our family at times. When he was visiting us at Locke Lake, NH he faithfully attended Mass and I remember standing with him through the service (the small church was packed).

  12. Mary and family, I’m so sorry to read this notice. My heart goes out to you all. Please know that I’m thinking of you. Losing a sibling is such a difficult and painful thing. I’m praying for your peace and healing. Love, Annie Gleason Schnier

  13. So sorry and saddened to hear this. I knew Paul from a very young age in grade school and he always had an incredibly positive mindset, a glimmer in his eye. I didn’t know that he went on to sing in bands but that doesn’t surprise me because I remember what a great tenor voice he had in Music class. Our thoughts are with all his family and friends.

  14. So sorry for the loss. Paul was a vibrant presence in our Hood School days and on the occasions we encountered each other since. My thoughts and prayers are with you today.

  15. Dear John, Joanne and Cass… our hearts are broken for all of you and your family. We are sending our deepest sympathies, prayers and love. God Bless everyone❤️
    Love,
    Cheryl, Bernie, Derek, Alexa, Michael Mikula
    Xoxo

  17. My condolences to all of you. You are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

  19. Condolences on your loss. I had the pleasure to work with Paul at Rue La La, and spend many hours trying to hire candidates with him… he was a great guy, and we never had a dull moment with him around. Honestly, chatting with him was one of the highlights of my day. Rest In Peace, Paul.

    1. I worked with Paul at Rue La La and he brought joy and laughter to everyone he interacted with. May he rest in peace, and sending my deepest condolences to the family. ♥️

  20. So sorry for your loss. Prayers for your family.My peace I leave you, My peace I give you,not as the world gives . Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27. For God so loved you that he gave his only begotten son Jesus, that whosoever believes shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. Love Cheryl (Reinold) Steele

  21. I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with your whole family. It seems like only yesterday we were all running around up and down Pine Ridge Road together. May you find some peace knowing that mom and dad those beautiful people are embracing Paul and They have Billy on Guard. Yes

  22. Oh Paul you were a dear friend in a time of great transition in my life. You convinced me to take a leap of faith into the unknown and guided those first steps of a new career. Go to the light you are deeply missed my friend.

  23. So I was one of Paulie’s West Coast friends. I met Paul in about 1990 in SF. We ran together for at least 20 years. He was in my crew of 4-5 great boys that hung out regularly. We travelled (Mexico, Hawaii, AZ, Monterey) many times. Paulie was in my wedding in 2001. Kind of lost track of Paul after he moved back to Boston but will never forget all of our GREAT times spent together over the years….RIP my brother

  24. I am extremely saddened by Paul’s passing. I had the pleasure to meet and work with Paul at Rue La La for around 2 years. We were each other’s sidekicks going to lunch every day and out after work many times. We kept that going even after our time at Rue. He and his laugh were unforgettable and I’m really going to miss grabbing a call and meeting up. My deepest condolences to his family. Much love to you all.

  25. Paul and I were desk neighbors for the past year or so. He was such a lovely and caring guy and we shared many a laugh together. I used to enjoy him drumming away on his desk while jiving to the music in his headphones. I’m so sorry and saddened to hear that he passed away. My condolences to all Paul’s family and friends.

  26. When I first saw Paul‘s photo, I was immediately brought back to North Reading junior high school. I have a vivid memory of him sitting in front if me in a class. I was a year ahead of him in school so we must’ve had a study hall or something together. The discussion at the time, was no he was not related to the math teacher Mr. Cohen. Paul was one of those people that left an impression on me, anyway. Great personality very funny, Sorry to hear he is gone so soon.
    Please understand I am one of those people that has a memory of literally almost every person I’ve ever met in my life…..especially from the NR school system.
    My condolences to the Cohan family.

  27. All very nice words and thoughts about my brother Paulie. So much appreciated. It really doesn’t get any easier. Very sad and will never be the same with the loss of Paul.

  28. I’m so sorry to hear this and it breaks my heart, I meet Paul in San Francisco and he was the best! He always made me smile I wish I had known I would of been there

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