Andrew Cohn

Madison-Andrew Phillip Cohn passed away peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, November 30, one month short of his 75 ^th birthday.  He was born on December 31, 1947 in Duluth, Minnesota, the first of three sons of Marilyn and Robert Cohn.  When he was very young, the family moved to Madison, where Andy spent most of his years.  After graduating from Madison West High School in 1966, Andy attended the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his BA and MA degrees.  It was in his senior year at UW that he met Kim Vergeront, whom he married in 1972.

Together, they had two sons, Jamieson and Matthew, who brought great joy to their lives. Andy was a very caring husband and father. His sons fondly remember him, scrambling eggs for their breakfast, making and packing up their school lunches, and always being there to cheer them on.

After family and friends, Andy was passionate about politics.  At the age of 24, he was elected alder to the Madison City Council, where he served two terms.  He and his young family went to Australia for a semester where he taught American Politics at Macquarie University in Sydney.  Upon returning to Madison, Andy ran many state-wide campaigns, and served as chief of staff to then Attorney General, Jim Doyle.  He finished his career as director of government and media relations for Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation where he was respected by his colleagues for his wisdom, commitment and friendly, persuasive skill.

Andy loved sports and was a lifelong Badger and Packer fan.  He played first base for the Nitty Gritty All-Stars for many years in the Madison MSCR slow pitch softball leagues.  Andy also enjoyed golfing, skiing and many years of running with his “running buddies”, participating in the Syttende Mai Race several times, and running marathons, including the Madison, New York and Twin Cities Marathons.

“We don’t care about how many elections or awards he won, or how many marathons he ran.  He was our father, and he was always there for us”, sons Jamieson and Matthew said more than once.

Andy is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kim Vergeront, his sons, Jamieson (Marianna Kessimian, Harper, Cyrus) and Matthew (Carrie Holmes) and brother, William Cohn (Deborah, Nathaniel, Abigail), and much extended family, including many Vergeront in-laws, all who cared deeply for him.

The family would like to thank the Haven staff at Attic Angels and Agrace Hospice for their kind, compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 17 ^th at 2:00 PM at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road  Madison

(608) 238-3434