Ed "Eddie" Cohn, 74, former tire dealer and longtime executive director of the California Tire Dealers Association-South, passed away Monday Feb. 8, 2010.
He was born Sept. 6, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved with his parents to California when he was three years old. He attended Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles and graduated in 1953.
After honorably serving in the Marine Corps, he graduated from Cal. State and joined his father in the family business, Cohn’s Tire, in 1958.
The younger Cohn built the Southern California branch of the California Tire Dealers Association into a strong organization, focusing on recruiting independent tire dealers. He paid close attention to the CIWMB (now CalRecycle) and its tire programs, which are funded with the fee charged on the sale of new tires.
He also was prominent figure at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show. "He was very well known within the tire world -- not only in California, but in the whole country," says Ejnar Fink-Jensen, executive director of the California Tire Dealers Association-North.
Until the last couple of years, when he suffered some health setbacks, Cohn was an indefatigable advocate for his association members, and tirelessly organized fundraising events such as the annual "Day at the Races" basketball and golf tournaments, and his friendly (and legal) lottery.
Cohn is survived by his wife of 48 years, Lorraine, and their four children: two boys and two girls. There will be a memorial service for him on Sunday, Feb. 14.
