Rodney Allen Cohen

Rodney Allen Cohen

June 16, 1965 – November 22, 2016

Rodney Allen Cohen, age 51 passed away on Tuesday, November 22, 2016.  Rod was born in Los Angeles, California to Stanley Cohen and Adrienne Cohen.  Rod married Melissa (Gatus) Cohen in 2006 and celebrated their wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico amongst family and friends.  Rod met his sweetheart in Los Angeles at the Baron Brown Studio for Acting and once married, they decided to make Eden, Utah their home. 

Rod graduated from Loyola Marymount University, with a BA in Communications and Film.  Rod was a gifted and talented actor but he chose to pursue a path in writing and filmmaking and was fortunate to do what he loved in his career.  His creativity and skillfulness as a filmmaker was soon recognized when he wrote, directed, edited and produced the short film comedy, “The Howie Rubin Story.”  The film received a total of 26 national and international awards and was depicted in the Encyclopedia Britannica for its filmmaking quality and for winning more awards from around the world than any other short theatrical film.  Eventually, Rod landed writing deals with studios in Hollywood and he went on to adapt the bestselling novel, “Di and I” into a screenplay for film and he wrote a comedy script made for TV.  Rod embraced his role as writer and director for the documentary, “History of Powder Mountain” and he was a contributing writer to the book, “Tales from Two-Bit Street and Beyond” with his short story, “1102.”

Rod was a beloved Husband, Son, Brother and Uncle and he will live on as a blessing in the hearts of every person who knew him, for he was brilliant, lovable, kind-hearted, and compassionate.  Rod enjoyed storm chasing, deep sea fishing, sharing his love for sushi, his cats Saboba & Malakei, and his dog Peaches.  He was a devoted fan of the Miami Dolphins and of the Utah Jazz.  Rod is survived by his wife Melissa Cohen of Eden; by his parents Stan and Adrienne Cohen of Eden; and by his sister Marlene Cohen of Palm Springs.

To honor and commemorate Rod’s life, a reception was held for friends and family in Los Angeles on November 27th.  Funeral services were held November 29th at Mountain View Cemetery in Eden followed by a beautiful reception at the home of the Manaster’s.