Lucy Howard Cohen, a longtime resident of San Francisco, died Tuesday, January 22, 2019. She was born and raised in New York’s Greenwich Village, to parents Jim and Jean Howard. She attended P.S. 41 before heading to Hunter College High School, where her academic drive resulted in an early graduation. She continued her education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

After a brief return to New York, Lucy moved to San Francisco and attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she received her doctorate in psychology. She established a private practice in the city, which she maintained until 2002 when she had a fall from which she never fully recovered.

From her marriage to Michael F. Cohen, Lucy had a daughter, Isa, whom she raised after her divorce. She was a constant champion for her daughter, and was always ready to listen. As Isa grew, she and Lucy were lucky enough to be able to travel, amble through museums, and eat delicious foods. Among other things, Lucy enjoyed sharing her love of fine things with her daughter. She spent countless hours playing word games, especially Scrabble and Boggle, and was an incredibly intimidating opponent. She could often be seen walking the hills of her adopted city with one of her Standard Poodles at her side.

Lucy was a formidable presence to all that knew her. She formed friendships over dinner with her quick wit and her ready laugh. In her 40’s her uncompromising eye for beauty (form over function every time) led her back to the arts she had loved so as a child. She began painting, making time for art as often as she could. Throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s her work was featured at the MoMA Rental Gallery and in a variety of shows across the Bay Area. Her raw talent for capturing the human condition was quickly apparent when viewing her sometimes lush and other times desolate abstract paintings.

Lucy is survived by her loving daughter, Isa Howard, son-in-law, Tony Canini, and their children, Teia, Taryn, and James. She is also survived by her sister, Nora Howard, and her two children, Angelo and Marysa Sacerdote. She is missed, not only by her family, but by her extended family of friends. Thank you especially to her home health care workers, Letty Lucero, Josepina Macatbag, and Nancy Francisco, who took such fantastic care of her during the last years of her life.

Although my mother was not always easy, she was always interesting…without her the world will certainly be a little less vibrant.

I love you mom.

A celebration of life will follow. Please search gatheringus.com for Lucy Howard Cohen for more information.