Obituary of Dr. Harvey Cohen

Harvey Martin Cohen, M.D., 92, passed away on Thursday, May 29, 2025, after a brief illness. He was surrounded by his three daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and beloved caregivers. A native of Denver, Colorado, Harvey will be remembered for his lifelong commitment to medicine, love of community and Judaism, his great sense of humor and storytelling, and deep devotion to his family.

Harvey was born in Denver in 1933 to Benjamin and Rose Cohen. He was the oldest child and had one younger sister: Sandra “Sandy” Waldman (née Cohen). His parents lived full lives in Denver. Harvey was very close with his sister Sandy, who preceded him in death.

A child of Denver’s West Side, Harvey graduated from Denver North High School. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and then received his M.D. from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1957. He then trained at the District of Columbia General Hospital, served in the Public Health Service in Bismarck, North Dakota, and then completed his obstetrics-gynecology residency at King’s County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

At age 17, he met his future wife, Judy Cohen, the daughter of Lillian and Isadore Fine, at a mixer for Jewish youth in Denver. While attending college in separate states—he in medical school in Colorado, she in Massachusetts—the two corresponded frequently by mail, and began a serious relationship following Judy's return to Denver. They were married at the Hebrew Educational Alliance in 1956. Their families were delighted by the union, which linked the East and West Sides of Denver.

Harvey was an esteemed obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) and was steadfast in his dedication to maternal and reproductive health throughout his 53-year career as a physician. He started his own practice in Denver, which he expanded in 1964, with his partner Wayne Conner, M.D., into Cohen and Conner P.C. In 1999, after Dr. Conner retired, the practice became Cohen and Womack P.C., with Gail B. Womack, M.D., becoming partner. The practice is still flourishing today as Red Rocks OBGYN.

Harvey made reproductive justice a cornerstone of his medical practice. He was a fierce and uncompromising advocate for patients who came to him in difficult circumstances. As his former partner Gail B. Womack wrote: “Harvey was always willing to take care of those on the fringe of life, who were less fortunate, or were in desperate situations. This was done with sincere concern for their well-being. He set a wonderful example to all of us for how to open your eyes and really understand what others have to deal with in their lives.” His compassion and legendary work ethic were only matched by his generosity: to patients and colleagues alike, with time, money, respect, and sensitivity. His empathy and warmth touched everyone who knew him.

Harvey was well-known in Colorado and nationally for his OB-GYN practice. He was a Senior Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and frequently engaged with the state and federal legislatures about increasing the availability and quality of maternal and reproductive healthcare. He loved teaching as a Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Rocky Vista School of Osteopathic Medicine. He is recognized annually in Colorado at the Harvey Cohen, M.D., Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Summit, which he began in 2013.

Harvey also was a central fixture in Denver's Jewish community throughout his life, as he and Judy were founding members of the Denver Reconstructionist Congregation, which later evolved into B'nai Havurah. He was a lifelong learner who read avidly and, most recently, enjoyed many Olli courses at the University of Denver. He also loved connecting with his friends playing poker, enjoying sports, and a little gambling now and then.

Harvey was a loving father to his three daughters: Ilene (Mark Nathanson), Marilyn (Galen Nathanson), and Linda (Alex Bulkacz). Judy and Harvey started their family while Harvey was still finishing his obstetrics residency, with Ilene being born in Bismarck, North Dakota and Marilyn in Brooklyn, New York, but the family eventually settled permanently in Denver, where Linda was born. The three daughters were immersed in Denver's Jewish community—Bat Mitzvahed at B’Nai Havurah—and they all attended Cherry Creek High School.

Harvey’s daughters built their lives close to their parents; each woman married and had children in Colorado. Ilene and her husband, Mark, raised three children—Rebecca, Joe, and Sophie—in Denver, while Marilyn and her husband, Galen, and Linda and her husband, Alex, raised their children—Max and Isabelle, and Ilana and Eli, respectively—in Boulder. Harvey joyfully welcomed a great-granddaughter this past year—June, lovingly named in memory of Judy.

Harvey loved being a grandfather to no end and took enormous pride in his grandchildren. His grandchildren knew him as their “Zayta”—and he passed on his playful affinity for Yiddish to them—or, more often, “Yayta.” He and Judy never missed a chance to spend time with and support his grandchildren, and was a true grandfather to an extended network of his grandkids' closest friends. He was an unwavering champion for his grandkids and loved being with them; supporting them with their studies and careers, taking them for ice cream dates and to Denver sporting events and theatrical productions, and constantly making them laugh.

Harvey is survived by his three daughters, three sons-in-law, seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and loving dog Winston.

Funeral Service, Sunday, June 1^st, 10 AM, Feldman Mortuary Chapel; Livestream on the Feldman Mortuary YouTube channel; Interment Golden Hill Cemetery.

Contributions in Harvey’s honor may be made to B’nai Havurah.

Zichrono Livracha, may his memory be a blessing to all who knew him, and may those who mourn find comfort in this difficult time.