David Cohen (OK 1961) died November 30, 2024

David’s three children read the following at the celebration of David’s life event.

David was a miracle, born 81 years ago with a severe heart problem which could not at that time be operated on, and today we celebrate David’s long and eventful life. Most babies born with this horrific defect, which is called Tetralogy of Fallot, died newly born and rarely got to grow up. More medical crises occurred in his life as cataracts were diagnosed when he was a toddler, and the first eye was operated on unsuccessfully as a post-operative infection meant he had to have the eye removed. Success with the second eye meant his vision was much improved with the aid of glasses.

He wasn’t able to run much or play sport so when he was 12, he underwent life-saving surgery. No instruments were available at that time to deal with this complicated operation, so the surgeon used his fingers to widen heart valves and improve the situation and he recovered well, enjoying his studies, passing all his exams and going off to university to study Chemistry. That didn’t last very long as he didn’t like the course and preferred playing bridge, often sitting up all night with his card-playing friends, sitting in shop windows to raise money for charity. His other lifelong interest was listening to music and going to Proms and concerts. He was a whizz at maths so Chartered Accountancy now seemed a good idea and he studied hard and passed all the difficult exams first time. He started his own accountancy practice working from his parents’ dining room and then moved the business to a small room in Ewell.

He met mum at a party in 1972 and they were married in Kingston and lived in West Wimbledon where Emma and Nicola were born. 45 years ago, they moved to New Malden where William was born, and the house was soon filled with various pets including guinea pigs, rabbits, budgerigars, gerbils and fish but David’s favourites were the boxer dogs Bumble and Hamish and finally the black Labrador called Cassie.

In his 30’s David’s heart health began to deteriorate so when he was 42, he underwent definitive surgery where more widening took place, and a large hole was closed. This gave him a new lease of life and so we all had a holiday in the Lake District, where he enjoyed walking uphill for the first time in his life. His business expanded and he finally had an office in New Malden. Music continued to play an enormous part in his life and, as the children became adults, he and mum enjoyed a wide variety of concerts all over the country and the extensive collection of black discs were regularly played and then the CD collection flourished. Theatre and cinema were much visited, bridge was played with friends or at Wimbledon Bridge Club, and life was full. His heart needed more attention from time to time with several ablations for atrial arrhythmia, and he took all this on with a very positive attitude, never complaining once.

He was certainly a survivor as recessions struck, business was difficult and then a life changing situation occurred when an apparently routine eye operation went disastrously wrong in Moorfields Hospital nearly 20 years ago and he emerged totally blind. He sold his business but still never looked on the black side of life, just pressed on learning how to go to New Malden with his long white cane so he could carry on going on the bus to the bank, hairdresser and shops, often meeting friends for lunch. He set up a screen-reading programme on the computer so he could carry on with all of the day-to-day admin he had always enjoyed, he volunteered on the phone with a company giving tax advice to older people and in fact carried on almost as if nothing much had gone wrong. Holidays, frequent lunches with friends, walking the dog with mum, independence – he just pressed on regardless.

18 months ago, he started needing more intensive treatment for heart failure, spending 8 weeks in The Royal Brompton and leading a slower pace of life. At the beginning of May last year, he started 7 months of real decline, spending time in Kingston Hospital, 12 weeks in The Royal Brompton, 4 weeks at home with carers, over 2 weeks in a hospice and then finally he went to a nursing home in New Malden to receive end of life treatment. He couldn’t move but enjoyed frequent visits from friends and family and carried on enjoying the cooked breakfasts until the last week of his life. We shall all remember him for his love of food and drink, but in his last few days, ice cream was his great love, and he always managed at least three portions in one go.

He died peacefully at 9pm on 30th November. He was on a research programme at The Royal Brompton and his startlingly long survival over so many years will be discussed and read about for years to come by the medical profession.

We shall remember him for his resilience, deep knowledge of music, enjoyment of friends, eating out and social occasions, love for his family and terrible ‘dad’ jokes.

Nina Cohen would also like to add that David was a long-standing member of the Royal Philatelic Society, he was non-complaining and courageous when his collections had to be sold following his blindness. He will certainly be missed by all.