[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 164 (Monday, October 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ORDER OF BUSINESS

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                   IN MEMORY OF REUBEN ``RUBY'' COHEN

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, a candle went out late one night recently 
at the Bangor Rye Bread Co. as Reuben ``Ruby'' Cohen--father of my 
friend and colleague Senator Bill Cohen--passed away while working late 
at night in the bakery he founded and owned.
  I was deeply saddened to learn of his passing, and my thoughts are 
with his wife Clara, his three children and his seven grandchildren. 
Ruby was laid to rest in his beloved town of Bangor with many friends 
and family members at his side. I joined them to bid my own farewells 
to this remarkable American.
  Ruby Cohen was an exceptional human being by living his life in a 
traditional manner: he worked hard, he worked late, he held strong 
values, and he raised a family.
  But these are traits that have made Ruby Cohen a legend in Bangor.
  At age 86, he had seen it all. The First World War, the Great 
Depression, the Second World War, the cold war, Korea and Vietnam, 
Kennedy and King, Nixon in China, Reagan in Russia, and the fall of the 
Iron Curtain.
  To Ruby Cohen, what mattered were the timeless ideals of hard work, 
good business, a strong family, and straight, honest talk.
  And he lived it to the hilt. He worked 18 hours a day, 6 days a week, 
for 70 years. His days began as everyone else's day was ending. And 
even when everyone else's day was beginning, Ruby was on the road 
delivering bagels, rye bread, French bread, Italian sandwich bread, 
and--last but certainly not least--his trademark Cohen rolls.
  That diversity of his produce was matched only by the ethnic collage 
for which Bangor is known. Ruby Cohen himself was a product of 
immigrants who hailed from Russia, and married an Irish girl named 
Clara in 1937. His accomplishments and his stamina shine brightly as 
yet another example of the rich foundation millions of immigrants and 
their children have laid down for future generations.
  As was always the case with his father and then with his children, 
work at Ruby Cohen's bakery was nothing short of a family affair right 
up until his very last day.
  In January 1989, I was honored to be a part of an 80th birthday 
celebration party for Reuben Cohen in the Queen City--Bangor. As 
always, time spent with Ruby was full of laughs, smiles, and stories 
about his wit and his candor--all of which will be sorely missed by us 
all.
  His son and their senior Senator from Maine, Bill Cohen, said 
yesterday that is father ``worked to live and lived to work''. In the 
process, Reuben Cohen added light and color to the lives of so many of 
us who knew him, so many of us who took pride in being able to call him 
``Ruby''.
  There is a richness by which you can measure the success of one's 
life. It can be found in the satisfied love and companionship of your 
spouse, the abiding love of your children, and in the admiration and 
friendship of those who have known you across the years. By all these 
measures and so many others, Reuben Cohen was a very rich man.
  Ruby, we know you are still putting in those late hours--only in a 
different place. But it just won't be the same without you. God bless.

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