John Joseph Cogan

Cogan, John Joseph passed away on August 15, 2021. John was born in Youngstown, Ohio on May 30, 1942 to John G. and Marjorie Cogan. He grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio and graduated from Edgewood High School in 1960. He enrolled at Kent State University, starting his college education at the branch campus in Ashtabula before moving to the main campus in Kent, where he completed his B.A. in Education in 1963. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Elementary Education from The Ohio State University and like a good Ohioan, was a lifelong Buckeye and a long-suffering supporter of the Cleveland Browns football team. He taught Social Studies Elementary Education at Wittenburg University in Ohio from 1968 to 1969 and at the University of Minnesota from 1969 to 2007. At Minnesota, he mentored hundreds of students, co-founded the Global Education Center, and led countless projects on citizenship education with international teams of scholars, many of whom became his closest friends. John's hobbies included atlases, maps, flight and train schedules, and traveling. Often, his first stop in a new city was to the tourist office to pick up a map. If a map wasn't available, he made do with one sketched on a piece of scrap paper. He loved introducing his family and friends to his favorite places around the globe. Even more so, he loved spending time in northern Minnesota. He enjoyed fishing when the weather was just right and even occasionally caught something, although never the big one that he knew was lurking nearby. John was devoted to his family, especially his wife, Grace. Their 44-year long marriage included many adventures, from living in Japan to scuba lessons, cycling in the Netherlands, walking Hadrian's Wall, climbing Mt. Fuji, and hiking the Grand Canyon. He doted on his grandchildren, taking them to children's theater, ballet, museums, sharing his love for classical music, and countless hours of reading to them. Preceded in death by parents, John G. and Marjorie. Survived by wife, Grace; son, Ben; daughter, Susan (Kyle); grandchildren, Katherine, Hannah, Andrew, and Tim; and brother, Barry (Andra). A celebration of life will be held at Richfield Methodist Church at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 15, 2022. Donations, if desired, can be made to the John and Grace Cogan Kent State Ashtabula Scholarship ksu.convio.net/... or the John and Grace Cogan Graduate Research Fellowship at the University of Minnesota makingagift.umn.edu/give/.... Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Tributes

John Joseph Cogan

May 30, 1942 - August 15, 2021

Tributes

John Joseph Cogan

May 30, 1942 - August 15, 2021

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