Denver, CO – Renee “Ruth” Cohen, who moved to Denver with her husband Eddy in 1979, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 10th, at Shalom Park at the age of 92.
Ruth was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Sam and Evelyn Miller. She married Eddy Cohen in 1958 and spent two wonderful decades in Montreal before they made their way west, to Colorado.
She was a devoted wife of nearly 50 years, a kind mother to Judy and Andy, and a doting grandmother to Emily, Jane, and Sam. She was also an excellent notary public, baker, Marina Square retailer, knitter, ceramic artist, receptionist, racehorse owner, and, ultimately, a devotee of the four o’clock sip of chardonnay. She leaves behind friends, young and old, and the often-repeated admonition that life is short.
Ruth is survived by her son, Andrew (Kerri Kunkel) Cohen, and is preceded in death by her husband, Eddy, and her daughter, Judy (Andrew) Bary.
Ruth patiently watched thousands of harness races from 1970 to 2026. She was 92 and was still receiving yearling catalogues from the Harrisburg and the Lexington Selected sales as recently as last fall.
She knew how to watch a horse race– in the rain, in the snow, in the heat and online– and was fair but tough on drivers and trainers. She was the brains behind her late husband Eddy Cohen’s Algonquin Farms and Anju Farms in Montreal in the 1970s and, decades later, a font of knowledge guiding the ups and downs of The Bay’s Stable, Radio Racing Stable, the Four Horsemen Stable, Cherry Creek Stable, and TMR Stable.
Her favorite driver was John Campbell, whom she met 50 years ago, and her favorite trainer and confederate was Linda Toscano. Her favorite Standardbred from the old days was Silvern Hanover, a trotter. Her favorite horse of recent vintage was another trotter, Sadie Hanover. She had a picture of Stormtracker, a pacing filly, on the wall of her room in the nursing home in which she died of complications from dementia. Years earlier, she had organized harness race-viewing parties at the senior center where she lived.
A Memorial Service was held at Shalom Park on Sunday, April 12th.
Contributions can be made to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation, the American Cancer Society, or the American Diabetes Association.