Phillip Ronald Cohen
Phillip Ronald Cohen ("Ron" or "Ronnie" to friends and family from the United States) passed away on Monday March 30, 2020 aged 86. Loving father to Bill and Elizabeth, he died peacefully just after sunset with his children by his side.
The youngest of three boys, Phillip was born in 1933 to Harriet and Jacque Cohen. Ron attended local schools including Porterville High School, which he graduated from in 1951. It was during his teenage years that he developed his lifelong love of cars and jazz.
After being drafted into the Army during the Korean War, Ron decided that being "Phillip R. Cohen" on formal documents would be a lot better than "P. Ronald Cohen" and was Phil or Phillip thereafter. "Fortunately," he would later recall, "the war ended 13 weeks in to basic training", leaving Phillip to serve out his time in Fort Benning as a light vehicle driver.
Following his honorable discharge in 1954, Phillip moved to Los Angeles. His love of jazz was stoked by the West Coast Jazz scene; he moved to Hermosa Beach and was for many years a regular at both the Lighthouse Cafe and the Insomniac Coffeehouse, where he watched many of the greats of the era perform.
The early 1960's saw Phil fully immersed in car culture, traveling to races across California as both spectator and occasional participant and working in pit crews for small teams. This was the world of Carol Shelby and Ken Miles, the latter of whom Phil met on and off the track in the years leading up to the infamous '66 Le Mans win. His love of and fascination with cars of the period lasted for the rest of his life.
In the late 1960's wanderlust overtook him and he took a job working for RMK-BRJ in South Vietnam. This led to three years working in Saigon and Cam Ranh Bay. Phillip made a point to spend time with locals, eating widely and traveling whenever he could, including a trip to neighboring Cambodia mere weeks before the Khmer Rouge insurgency began.
On a whim, Phil came to Sydney, Australia for a few weeks on his way home from Vietnam in early 1970. He was completely charmed by the city and its inhabitants, and after a brief trip home he emigrated, working as a personnel consultant and living in Sydney's northern suburbs.
In December 1978 Phillip married Antoinette Mary Evans of Lancashire, England, being welcomed into her Sydney-based family. In 1979 Antoinette gave birth to William Arthur Cohen, who at the age of 22 months accompanied his parents back to the US in 1981. During this trip Phillip attended his 30-year high school reunion and was honored with a plaque for his journey from Sydney to Porterville. Another child followed in 1982, daughter Elizabeth Mary Cohen.
Following an amicable divorce in 1988, Phillip found himself a sole parent to two teenagers in 1995 following Antoinette's death. The next eight years were a challenging time for the family, but by 2003 both children were working or studying and Phillip left Sydney. He moved 90 minutes north to the Central Coast region of New South Wales, settling in a small home that he filled with photographs of family, mementos of his travels and many, many models of his beloved cars. He was an active member of the local Rotary club, including a year as President and a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship.
Phillip spent his retirement years resolutely independent, living alone with minimal support until his hospitalisation less than two weeks before his passing. His days would usually involve reading news from all over the world, corresponding with friends and family via email, and spending time whenever possible with his children. Phillip is survived by his children Bill and Elizabeth. They will love him forever.