Southwest Florida reflects on legacy of Naples philanthropist Janet Cohen

Janet Cohen, a philanthropist whose generosity reflected her broad interests in Southwest Florida, died Sept. 5 in Naples. She was 98.

She was supported in her last week by Avow Hospice, one of her beloved causes with its focus on humanity and lifting others up, reflective of her mission in establishing her family legacy.

“I enjoy giving and appreciate that I had the means,” she said. “I just want to be remembered as a decent, caring, honest woman and that I was a Brownie Scout.”

Fiesty, not one to mince words, and endearing, Cohen’s life was marked by incredible highs and lows that a lesser person may not have endured with her grace.

Her generosity, along with that of her late husband, Harvey Cohen, is evident in buildings that bear their name and programs she quietly helped spearhead when she wanted to stay out of the limelight after her husband’s death Feb. 27, 2011.

The student union at Florida Gulf Coast University is the Cohen Student Union; a center for bereaved children at Avow is Aunt Janet’s House; the Holocaust Museum operates the Cohen Education Center; and Salvation Army of Collier County has the Fran Cohen Youth Center in memory of her late daughter, Fran Cohen.

She and her husband helped build the original 50-bed North Collier Hospital that today is NCH North Hospital, and patients and family at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Lee County enjoy a garden retreat for solitude and reflection.

When her daughter was ill with breast cancer in Dallas, a garden helped them during the difficult times.

"It was one of the more pleasant moments,” Cohen said in 2016 when she gifted $3 million to Golisano hospital, part of Lee Health, for the garden. “I just want people to enjoy whatever they can enjoy in the face of (illness).”

Janet and Harvey Cohen were generous donors to NCH, the hospital system in Collier County, with instrumental gifts to support the construction of the Jay and Patty Baker Patient Tower at the NCH North campus, Dan Casagrande, with NCH Philanthropy, said.

“Early on, (they) recognized the tremendous growth in the community and the need to expand healthcare services in North Naples,” he said. “They were pioneers in making large philanthropic commitments throughout Southwest Florida and helped to inspire a new era of transformational giving to NCH.”

Her life: Philanthropy yes, but also a business major and Brownie troop leader

Cohen was born March 31, 1925, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother enrolled Janet in Girl Scouts and ballet classes at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, according to a biography by FGCU.

She attended Miami University in Oxford and Ohio State where she majored in business administration. She pledged Sigma Delta Tau and organized social events and benefits.

She knew her future husband since she was 12 years old and was friends with his sister. In the summer of 1947, they eloped. He launched his career as an attorney in Cincinnati and she stayed at home.

The couple’s only child, Frances Cohen, was born Aug. 12, 1949.

When her only brother, Sam, died in a house fire, she raised his children, Kym Guttman and Scott Guttman, who survive her today. She led a Brownie Troop, worked at a clinic for underprivileged pregnant women and volunteered elsewhere, according to FGCU.

Her husband switched careers and became a developer with a focus on urban revitalization in Cincinnati. They retired to Naples in the 1980s.

Their daughter died July 17, 2010 from breast cancer and her husband’s health declined quickly. He died the following February.

Cohen is survived by her niece and nephew, and leaves behind her sister-in-law, Cathy Cohen and her husband, Hillard, and nephews John, William, Paul and Geoffrey Cohen.

Avow will  be hosting a celebration of life and there will be a service in Cincinnati.

Her legacy: She 'was an indomitable force, and she will be missed'

Cohen’s support for children’s causes in Southwest Florida is how many will remember her.

Chris Simoneau, chief development, marketing and communications officer at Lee Health, recalls how Cohen in 2015 made a nearly $250,000 gift to support the capital campaign for Golisano Children’s Hospital.

She made a pledge of $3 million through her estate to support the children’s hospital and what is now Cohen Family Garden.

“To this day, family, staff, and patients enjoy the great respite provided by the Cohen Family Garden that occupies a fantastic space between Golisano Children’s Hospital and the HealthPark Medical Center,” Simoneau said in an email.

Inspired by the healing powers of animals, Cohen invested an additional $25,000 to fund one of the two “facility dogs” at Golisano to bring joy to patients during their hospital stay, he said.

“Lee Health and Golisano Children’s Hospital are deeply grateful for Janet’s extensive philanthropy, and her quick wit, guidance, and spirit will be sorely missed,” he said.

At FGCU, the student union is formally the Harvey and Janet Cohen Center.

“Janet Cohen was an indomitable force, and she will be missed,” Kitty Green, FGCU’s vice president of advancement and executive director of the foundation.

“ We remain grateful for her significant 2011 gift to honor her beloved husband Harvey and daughter Frances by supporting students at Florida Gulf Coast University," she said. "Forevermore, FGCU students will meet, dine and gather in the Cohen Student Union.”

At Avow, Cohen provided a gift that enabled the nonprofit hospice to renovate a 3,000-square-foot home adjacent to its campus that today serves grieving children, aged 5 to 17. It opened in 2019. The amount of her gift is not disclosed.

Named Aunt Janet’s House, counselors help children open up through art, music and play. Words about their pain and confusion may not be part of their vocabulary yet.

“Janet Cohen was a truly exceptional philanthropist with a passion for helping local charities serve the community that she loved,” Jaysen Roa, Avow president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Through her generosity, Aunt Janet’s House is a safe and welcoming refuge for hundreds of children to receive grief support, he said.

“And through her legacy we know thousands more will benefit from compassionate care in the future. We are grateful to Janet for her kindness and friendship, she will be fondly remembered,” Roa said.

In April 2017, the Salvation Army of Collier County opened the Fran Cohen Youth Center to summer camp and after-school programs for hundreds of children.

Cohen gifted $2.2 million for the project on behalf of herself and her late husband in memory of their daughter.

The Holocaust Museum & Education Center was another recipient of her generosity, Susan Suarez, president and chief executive officer, said in an email.

“Janet cared deeply about children and felt that the museum’s work to educate students about the lessons of the Holocaust was extremely important,” she said.

Cohen gifted the museum $1 million in 2018 to launch a $3.5 million capital campaign to purchase its own building and relocate to its current home. Her gift led many others to join her, and the campaign was a success, she said.

“In addition to her generous gifts, Janet gave of her time by serving on the museum’s board of directors, Suarez said. “Her sharp mind was always a welcome addition to discussions of the museum’s future plans.”

Suarez recalled in 2019 during the demolition day celebration for the new museum location at 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd. what Cohen said: “I just hope we can expand.”

That hope has come to fruition: the museum’s expansion will be complete next month with a 3,600-square-foot addition for an Auschwitz gallery and other uses, Suarez said.

While Cohen did not make a special gift for the expansion, she made many annual gifts for the educational programs.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Janet Cohen: Naples philanthropist dies at 98 but her impact lives on