Judith R. Cohen

Service : Thursday, July 9th at 12:00 pm
Service Location: Graveside Service
Shalom Memorial Park
1700 West Rand Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Interment:
Shalom Memorial Park
1700 West Rand Road
Arlington Heights

Shiva Information

Private

Contributions
Greyhounds Only
http://www.greyhoundsonly.com/donate

Judith Ruth Cohen passed away peacefully on June 30, 2026 at the age of 92. She leaves behind a family who loved her dearly and countless friends, colleagues, students, and clients whose lives were made better because of her kindness, wisdom, and genuine interest in people.

Born on October 29, 1933, to Harry Cohen and Betty Nudelman, Judith was curious about the world from an early age. Learning wasn’t just something she did-it was who she was. After graduating from Senn High School in 1951, she earned degrees from the University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she completed her Ph.D. in Urban Education. She took her dissertation so seriously that she kept three copies in different places and even packed one on family vacations, just in case.

Judith spent her life helping others. Over the years she worked as a counselor at a drug rehabilitation center, with the Milwaukee Anti-Defamation League, taught in Chicago Public Schools, and taught religious and Hebrew school. But the work she loved most was being a psychotherapist. She found real joy in listening, encouraging, and helping people through difficult times, and she continued seeing clients until she was 90 years old.

Travel was one of Judith’s greatest passions. She believed the best classroom was the world itself. She loved exploring National Parks and traveling to places including Israel, England, Ireland, Alaska, China, New Zealand, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and Africa. She was always eager to learn about history, experience new cultures, and see what was around the next corner.

When she wasn’t traveling, Judith enjoyed the simple things that made a house feel like home. She was an avid reader who always had a book nearby. A vegetarian for most of her life, she loved baking fresh bread every week, filling her home with its wonderful aroma. She cared for so many houseplants that watering them became a project of its own, and she loved crocheting baby blankets and scarves for family and friends.

She also had a playful side. Judith collected ladybugs, loved beautiful jewelry and figurines, and delighted in adding to her collections over the years. Later in life, she fulfilled a longtime dream of adopting two retired greyhounds, Windy and Chance, who became beloved companions.

More than anything else, Judith loved her family. She was incredibly proud of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and nothing made her happier than hearing what they were doing. She celebrated their accomplishments, encouraged their dreams, and always wanted to know what was happening in their lives.

Judith is survived by her daughter, Sharon Prochot and her husband, Michael Prochot; her son, Reid Shimanovsky; her grandchildren, Christopher Prochot, Matthew Prochot (Katherine Zirbel), Bronya Clover Pokorney, and Geven Pokorney; and her great-grandchildren, George Prochot, Robert Prochot, and John Prochot.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry Cohen and Betty Nudelman; her brother, Sheldon Cohen; and her sister-in-law, Corinne Cohen.

Judith will be remembered for her intelligence, compassion, curiosity, sense of adventure, and the way she truly cared about people. She never stopped learning, never stopped asking questions, and never stopped believing that everyone deserved kindness and understanding.

Her family will miss her deeply, but they take comfort in the many memories she created, the lessons she shared, and the love she gave so freely. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and in the family she cherished above all else.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Greyhounds Only, www.greyhoundsonly.com/donate. Graveside service Thursday, July 9, 12 Noon at Shalom Memorial Park, 1700 W. Rand Road (enter off of Wilke), Arlington Heights. For a link to view the service, shiva information, and to leave condolences: www.shalommemorial.org, 847-255-3520.