Of Santa Barbara, CA passed away peacefully on September 1, 2021 at almost 91 ½ years old. Maisie was born in Pasadena, California on April 16, 1930 to parents John and Elizabeth “Betty” Irish, but was mainly raised in Flagstaff, AZ, Betty’s hometown. She graduated with honors from San Diego High School in San Diego, CA in 1947 and continued on to UC Berkeley, where she achieved a BA degree in Liberal Arts, and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1951. After Berkeley, Maisie continued on to Stanford University to achieve her Masters in Teaching in 1952.
After college, Maisie moved to China Lake, CA to begin her career as a teacher. While at China Lake, she met her future husband William “Bill” Cohen. The two were wed in a Quonset Hut on the naval station in China Lake on June 16, 1956. Just 6 weeks after the wedding, the couple were off to Washington D.C. as Bill had been offered a position with a firm that was the predecessor to NASA. Maisie continued her teaching career in Washington, D.C.
In 1962, the couple adopted their first child, and 3 more adopted children were to follow. As a “dividend for good behavior,” the couple had 2 natural children beginning in 1970. Maisie loved all children, and the Cohen home was always open to all the neighborhood children. Life was quite lively, and Maisie simply adored it and her children thrived in it.
In 1974, NASA offered Bill an early retirement program which they decided to accept. Afterwards, the family relocated to beautiful Santa Barbara, CA, where Maisie’s mother was residing. In SB, Maisie began her “second life.” She enjoyed many personal and professional pursuits, as well as raising the couple’s six children (and their many friends!) She was an avid piano player and founded the Santa Barbara Piano Club. She taught English at Santa Barbara City College for a time and was very proud of the “Caveman Chronicles” class project she and her students completed. Maisie founded and owned MicroXchange, one of the first companies to provide training on the new (at the time!) personal computers. Maisie loved all types of dancing, and you could often see her Swing Dancing or Belly Dancing (which she took up at the spry young age of 82!) up State St. in the SB Solstice Parade. Bill and Maisie traveled the world over together, and encouraged and supported travel in all of
their children.
Maisie’s passing has left the family utterly heartbroken, and her kind, intelligent and elegant presence will be keenly missed by all. Her husband, Bill, is previously deceased, but she is survived by all of her 6 children and 7 grandchildren: her son, David, and his daughters, Hannah and Emma; her daughter, Catherine; her son, Andrew, and her daughter-in-law, Carolyn; her daughter Deborah, and her son-in-law, Eric; her son, Michael, and her daughter-in-law, Suzanne, and their sons, Aidan and Blake; and her son, Daniel, and her daughter-in-law, Nancy, and their daughters, Esme, Jaxi and Ione. Maisie also leaves behind several loving cousins.
The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Sarah House (especially Paloma Espino), as well as the Hospice Nurses from Assisted Hospice Care (especially Aretha Curran), for their devoted service and the tender loving care and dignity they continuously bestowed upon Maisie. For those who wish to honor Maisie’s life (and in lieu of flowers), donations can be made to the Sarah (Hospice) House and Assisted Hospice Care, both in Santa Barbara, CA.
A private celebration of Maisie’s life will be held in mid-October 2021.
