Helene “Penny” Cohen, formerly of Liberty passed away on Sunday, March 29 in West Palm Beach, Florida after a brave, year-long battle with lung cancer. She was 84 years old.

Penny loved being around people, especially her lifelong friends from Liberty, New York as well as her community at Riverwalk in West Palm Beach. She enjoyed an active lifestyle there that included tennis, water aerobics, mahjong, bingo, Red Hats and various other activities. Her other interests included going to shows at the Kravitz Center, crossword puzzles, sudoko and, most of all, checking on and visiting with her three children and three grandchildren.

She is survived by her children, Mitchell Cohen (Mary) of Wilmington, Delaware; Lori Levey (Allan) of Atlanta, Georgia and Kenneth Cohen (Tanya) of Jeffersonville, New York; her sister Leni Welte (Burt) of New York; grandchildren, Natalie and Daniel Levey and Gabrielle Cohen; nieces Sheryl Emch and Didi Tulloch and her partner Jay Katz of West Palm Beach.

She was a fighter to the end, amazingly defying doctor's expectations back in September that she had weeks to live and leaving the hospital shortly after. She had resumed her normal, active life since September before the cancer finally overcame her in recent weeks. She had previously stared down breast cancer and soft-tissue sarcoma and was an inspiration to all, especially her youngest son Kenneth when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.