Obituary of BRENDAN CAMERON COHOE

BRENDAN CAMERON COHOE March 16, 1985 – March 11 2015 What a wonderful gift we had with our beautiful Brendan in our lives. He was kind, considerate, compassionate and caring, intelligent and inquisitive, determined, incredibly patient, and always positive. He was a loving and caring brother and son with a wide taste in books, music and film and a devilish sense of humour. His quiet, calm exterior and physical appearance belied an absolute mountain of inner strength that was unassailable by any adversity he encountered in life. Brendan was born in Winnipeg and spent 3 years in Ottawa where he attended junior kindergarten. The family returned to live in West St. Paul where Brendan attended kindergarten through Grade 8. He was a good student and an active and energetic child. He spent hours outside with his brother and sister and friends playing in the yard making snow forts and tree forts, swimming in the pool in the summer, skating and snowmobiling in the winter. He loved spending time at his grandparents in Pilot Mound and on the Baldur farm, and playing with friends and cousins there. He played organized sports in baseball and soccer with West St. Paul before finding his passion in football with the Nomads. The family had a fabulous European vacation in 1997, visiting Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France where we had a great visit with family and saw lots of the French countryside. Brendan lost some weight over this vacation, initially thought to be due to his dislike of some European food. Some months later the truth was discovered as he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. The surgery for this “very treatable” tumour left him unable to move, talk or swallow. Brendan persevered, and while enduring the effects of chemotherapy and radiation, regained his speech and some motor skills. While still recovering, he suffered the devastating loss of his older sister, mentor and protector, Ashleigh Erin Cohoe, in a car accident. A highlight for Brendan after his ordeal was a trip to Australia granted by Children’s Wish Foundation. We saw a huge part of the country. Despite his disabilities and the state of his recovery, he managed to snorkel off the Great Barrier Reef. Confined to a wheelchair and with other physical disabilities, Brendan persevered and graduated from Garden City Collegiate in 2003. He graduated in 2007 from U of M with a BA degree in Psychology and Economics. He did have numerous summer jobs including MTS and Manitoba Hydro, where he made some lasting friendships. The permanent job market proved more difficult. Brendan never complained, he persevered and kept on trying. Finally, thanks to his mom’s intervention with Bob Brennan and Manitoba Hydro’s hiring program, Brendan got on with Manitoba Hydro where he spent the last 31/2 years. Brendan’s quiet charm and positive outlook gained him many friends at Hydro. At age 25, to help gain some independence and home skills, Brendan moved out to Ten Ten Sinclair in Winnipeg. As he learned how to get around the city with Hand Transit, he made a friend who helped him get moved into independent housing co-op units at 200 Watson St. As soon as he was hired on at Hydro, the housing co-op rent became unaffordable so Brendan, with family’s help, purchased a condo not far away. Brendan lived there for about a year before he had the opportunity to purchase a home in Crescentwood right next door to his brother. Sadly, he lived in his ideal home for less than a year before being diagnosed with a second brain tumor that ultimately took his life. Brendan was an avid reader of novels, investment, health and self-help books, and had subscriptions to half a dozen magazines. He had an impressive investment portfolio and was partners with his brother in some rental properties. His movie and music collection was extensive, and he was an incurable shower singer. He was incredibly thoughtful of others, and always knew the appropriate and unique gift to buy. We are so happy that his health was good enough to travel with us and spend his last 6 months travelling to the Panama Canal and Phoenix and visiting with many relatives and friends. Brendan was always calm and positive in his outlook, and rarely complained about anything. Every single doctor and nurse who treated him could not believe how easygoing he was no matter what treatment he was being subjected to. His standard response to “How are you?” was “Good”. On his final day, unable to speak, he’d respond to our questions with a thumbs up sign. Some of his final handwritten messages to us included “Luv u guys” and “B OK” . Brendan will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by his Dad & Mom, Peter & Joanne, and younger brother Dylan, his grandfather and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and all his friends. Brendan has now joined his sister to watch over us as guardian angels. A celebration of Brendan’s life will be held Monday, March 16th (his 30th birthday) at 1:00 pm at the Sunova Centre, 48 Holland Road, West St Paul, Mb. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brendan’s memory may be made to CancerCare Manitoba (Brain Cancer Research), 675 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg Mb, R3E 0V9.