Beatrice (Shapiro) Cohen

The Funeral Service for Beatrice (Shapiro) Cohen will be available for live-streaming (and after) at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 via the following link: https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/823475292

WORCESTER – Beatrice P. (Shapiro) Cohen, age 93, died peacefully at home on Monday, January 22, 2024, surrounded by the loving presence of her family.

Born in Worcester, Beatrice was the daughter of Abraham and Devorah (Shulman) Shapiro and was a lifelong resident of Worcester.

She grew up in the age of radio and the introduction of television, and lived to see the age of the internet, smart phones, and space stations. A lifelong learner with an omnivorous intellect, “Bea” continued a long and varied path of learning into her 90’s, when she focused on such topics as French, Spanish and quantum physics. A progressive, seeker, poet, artist and much more, she graduated from Quinsigamond Community College as a Registered Nurse. She worked for many years at local hospitals, including St. Vincent Hospital and Fairlawn Hospital. In fields including medical/surgical, trauma, infection control, rehabilitation, maternity, and nursery, she positively affected the lives of thousands of people. She served as a nurse’s union organizer with Local 1199: The National Health Care Workers Union, and in that capacity helped raise the benefits and wages for many nurses in the Worcester area.

Beatrice was one of the freest thinking, kindest hearted, intelligent, nonjudgmental, interesting, interested, and well-read souls this world has ever seen. She will be lovingly missed and remembered by all who knew her, but especially by her children, Dean Cohen and his wife, Donna of Warwick, RI, Linda Larrivee and her husband, Alan of Worcester, Michael Cohen and his wife, Carol of Southbridge, and Shari O’Connor and her husband, Christopher of Worcester; her 13 grandchildren: Steven Cohen, Alaina Power, Shaina Larrivee, Ben Larrivee, Darlene Parow, Christian Beley, Diane O’Neill, Corrine Potter, Nathan Cohen, Michael Cohen, Jason O’Connor, Sean O’Connor, and Matthew O’Connor; 12 greatgrandchildren and 3 great greatgrandchildren. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Nathan Cohen; her brother, Stanley Shapiro; and her sister, Leona (Shapiro) Ricklin.

Family and friends will gather for a Funeral Service at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, January 24th at Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Interment will follow at B’nai Brith Cemetery, 55 St. John’s Road, Worcester.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy ( https://preserve.nature.org ) or the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ( www.dana-farber.org/gift ).

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
- Christopher Robin