Myron Cohen

The oldest of three brothers, he grew up in Manhattan, and later lived in the Bronx with his wife Miriam (née Hyman), whom he married in 1925.

When calling on customers, before showing his samples, he would tell a joke to put everyone at ease and establish a friendly mood.

Cohen’s jokes were often more popular than his garment samples, and his customers urged him to become a professional comedian.

Although he spoke perfect, cultured English, he was a master at capturing the ethnic accents of the Jewish citizens of New York City.

Cohen suffered a heart attack at age 83 and died at Nyack Hospital, where he had been taken from his home in New City, New York.