Kohn, Barry Allan, age 74, passed away on September 21, 2024. Barry was the son of the late Lester and Marian (Grossman) Kohn, the beloved husband of Patsy (Boymel) Kohn, the loving father of Chase Kohn (Aida), Jonathan Kohn (Debra Kissen), and Lauryn Schuman (Paul); and the proud Papa of Gabriel, Ari, Jordyn, Jakob, and Morgan Kohn; and Sydney and Max Schuman. Brother of Marilyn Barnett. He will be missed by his family and his wide circle of friends.
Born and raised in Paddock Hills, Barry was a life-long Cincinnatian. He fondly recalls being raised in a community where everyone knew everyone else; and you could walk down the street, and someone he knew would drive up and offer him a ride wherever he was going.
He attended Bond Hill School and then went to Woodward for high school. He described himself as a below average student and went to college at “the only school that would have him,” the University of Tennessee. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college — the proudest moment of his father, Lester’s, life.
Barry met the love of his life, Patsy, after school at Swifton Commons when he was 13 and she was 12. They got married on December 19, 1971, prior to Barry’s last semester of college. They spent the first year of their marriage living in Knoxville, Tennessee, before moving into the Williamsburg community near Wyoming. They lived there until 1975 when they moved with their newborn son, Chase, to Montgomery.
Shortly after moving, Barry and Patsy were surprised to discover they were going to be parents again and in July 1976, Jonathan was born. Years later, the apple of Barry’s eye, Lauryn, was born on November 8, 1983. After raising two boys he always said that from the moment Lauryn came into this world, he knew there was something different about having girls.
His three children were the proudest accomplishments of his life and his seven grandchildren brought him the utmost joy.
After graduating from college, Barry went to work with his father-in-law helping to manage a single nursing home that the family owned, Garden Manor Extended Care Center (in Middletown). It was during this time that he developed a talent for identifying good people and nurturing and cultivating them. What made him so successful wasn’t that he was the smartest person in the room, it was that he knew when to listen to those around him and encourage their ideas.
He would go on to build several more nursing facilities and start numerous other businesses. He was a fair employer and a caring and compassionate provider. He stressed the importance of delivering quality care for the residents as well as their family members and above all else he recognized that the foundation of his success was rooted in the hundreds of wonderful people that he considered employees and friends. He took so much pride in the longevity of the people that worked at his companies and the ways in which he was able to make their lives better.
As a lifelong Cincinnatian, Barry made it a priority to support the community that he called home. His children attended Yavneh Day School (Rockwern Academy) and while they were there, he became involved on their board of directors. That experience led him to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati board where he was ultimately a campaign co-chair in 1997.
His generosity and philanthropic endeavors extended beyond the local community. In 1989, along with his dear friend Harry Sudman, he traveled to the Soviet Union. The two of them traveled on their own and brought much needed supplies to members of Jewish communities in Moscow, Leningrad, and Kharkov. In 1997, he also traveled with a group of Jewish leaders to visit Cuba. During that trip, they delivered supplies to the Jewish communities of Havana and Santiago. Additionally, Barry was committed to fighting hunger in his local Cincinnati community and spent some time serving on the board of the Freestore Foodbank.
Beyond family and community, Barry’s other two passions were golf and his beloved Cincinnati Reds. Barry started playing golf at the age of 12 at Avon Fields golf course. As a young adult, he could be found most Saturday and Sunday mornings playing golf with his good friends at Crest Hills Country Club. The best weekend days involved finishing a round of golf and meeting his family for lunch at “The Club.” In his office, he had a sign hanging on the wall that said “Golf is not a matter of life and death — it’s much more important than that.” Just weeks before he passed, he spent a memorable afternoon riding around the course with his friends. It was the time he spent with these friends that mattered more than the score, but Barry did love his birdies!
Barry held a special place in his heart for the Cincinnati Reds, where for more than 50 years he was a loyal season ticket holder at Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium and most recently Great American Ballpark. He was truly a superfan who attended dozens of games every season. He sure loved spending summer nights at the ballpark.
In his final days, Barry continued to watch his beloved Reds, finding comfort in hearing that familiar phrase, “And this one belongs to the Reds.” His family, friends, and employees will remember him for his compassion, loyalty, and love for life. His legacy lives on for all those individuals he touched, who will undoubtedly be thinking about Barry as he rounds third and heads for home one final time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Freestore Foodbank or Rockwern Academy.
