Lillian N. Cohen

Lillian Narva Cohen, age 101, of Providence passed away Friday, June 5, 2026, at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. She was the loving wife of the late Donald “Buddy” Cohen.

Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Morris and Anna (Kibrick) Narva, she returned to the city of her birth for her later years.

Lillian and her beloved Buddy enjoyed many years together traveling, playing golf and entertaining family and friends in their home. Lillian loved cooking and was especially creative as she modified recipes to make them her own. Lillian and Buddy also enjoyed family trips, near and far, with their four children. As dog lovers, they took care of their own dogs, as well as a few grand dogs, over the years.

A floral designer for many years before retiring, Lillian took great pride in her work. “The Flower Lady,” as her family nicknamed her, continued her interest in floral design, volunteering to create flower arrangements for historic buildings in Lexington, as well as bouquets for Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester. Lillian was an active member of the Lexington Field and Garden Club, oldest garden club in the nation. She also spent hours in her own gardens or volunteering in other gardens, designing and maintaining beautiful displays of flowering plants and shrubs.

Her other passion was knitting and needlework. As a member of the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society, Lillian exhibited and sold many of her knitted creations.

Age did not slow down Lillian. She continued to play tennis well into her late 80’s and enjoyed watching the professional tennis players on tv. When she was not playing tennis or gardening, she was reading, playing mahjong, doing word games or building jigsaw puzzles.

She is survived by four children, Lynne Shapiro and her husband Harvey of Falmouth, MA, Robert Cohen and his wife, Eileen of Foxboro, MA, Steven Cohen and his wife Kathy of Natick, MA, and Lee Cohen and his wife Ellyn of Cranston, RI; eight grandchildren, Scott Shapiro and wife Paula, Nancy Nelsen and husband Bill, Abby Cohen and husband Ryan, Sabrina Cohen and husband Julio, Linsey Pimentel and husband Matt, Tyler Cohen and wife Rachel, Hannah Cohen and husband Ryan and Marshall Cohen and partner Nick Mizaur; seven great-grandchildren, William, Avery, Theodore, Oliver, Mia, Maxwell, and Poppy, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by siblings, Morton Narva, and triplet sisters, Betty Friedman and Pauline Jacobs.

Donations in her memory may be made to Wright-Locke Farm, 82 Ridge Street, Winchester, MA 01890 or HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904.