Nelly Kogan

September 15, 1929 - September 23, 2016

Nelly Kogan, age 87, passed away on September 23, 2016, with her family by her side. She was preceded in death by parents, Jacob and Rachel Polk. She was born September 15, 1929 to Russian Jewish parents in Odessa, Ukraine. Her parents fled from persecution in Russia in early 1930s to Shanghai, where she was raised until the end of WWII. Her parents then emigrated from China to the U.S. in 1947 and moved to New York City. She married Henry (Garry) Kogan, a boy she knew in Shanghai, in 1948, and they were together for 63 years until his death in 2012. She enjoyed the symmetry of having one daughter (Linda) and one son (Ray), one granddaughter (Leslie) and one grandson (Daniel), and one great granddaughter (Rose) and one great grandson (Elliott). She spoke English, Russian, and French, and worked for many years as a volunteer with multiple sclerosis patients and Russian Jewish immigrants. She is survived by: her daughter Linda Kogan; son Raymond Kogan and his wife Suzanne Harness; granddaughter Leslie LaRocca, her husband Robert LaRocca, and granddaughter Rose LaRocca; and grandson Daniel Kogan, his wife Sarah Kogan, and grandson Elliott Kogan. Funeral services will be Sunday, September 25 at 1:00 PM at the Epstein Memorial Chapel, 3232 E. Main St. Burial will follow at New Tifereth Israel Cemetery.