Allan Kohrman

Allan S Kohrman died on October 13 due to complications of a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a fall earlier this year.  He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Stone of Newton, his son, Adam Kohrman and his fiancé, Emily Carpenter of Belmont.

Allan was born in Cleveland, OH, on August 10, 1945, to Joseph Kohrman and Gertrude Schnabel Kohrman.  Raised in the Jewish faith in Shaker Heights, Allan was also enjoyed the Cleveland Symphony and Cleveland sports from a young age.  Joseph died when Allan was five years old, and he was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother.  Gertrude died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Allan attended Kenyon College in Ohio where he made lifelong friends.  He continued his education at Brandeis University where he earned an MA in American History. 

From there he began his 37-year career as a professor of American History at Massasoit Community College in Brockton.  Later he also obtained an MA in English at UMass Boston and began to teach English composition and American literature as well.  Allan entertained his classes with his own renditions of labor songs and groan-worthy puns. 

Allan arrived in the Boston area during the Vietnam War and was attracted to the Society of Friends (Quakers) for their peace testimony and contemplative mode of worship.  Soon he became member and an active participant in the life of the meeting.  There he met Carolyn Stone. They became engaged and were married at Friends Meeting in Cambridge in 1980. 

Six years later they joyfully welcomed their son, Adam.

Allan had passion for and strong opinions about many topics.  He loved classical music, especially Mozart.  He and Carolyn regularly attended concerts in the Boston area, and he amassed a collection of around 1500 CDs.  His knowledge of performers, music and recordings was extensive.  He also held passions for sports history, fine food, chocolate, history, and art cinema. He shared many of these passions with his son, inspiring Adam’s own passions and strong opinions in each area. 

Over the years Allan served on numerous Quaker committees at the local and regional level. 

For decades he, Carolyn, and Adam participated in the annual gathering of Quakers in New England.  At such gatherings Allan was known for speaking what he felt was true even when he knew it would be unpopular.  He was also known for his hugs, warm greetings, loyal friendship and attention to the elderly. 

A memorial meeting for worship will take place on November 12 at 2 pm at Wellesley Friends Meeting, 26 Benvenue Street, Wellesley, MA.  Worship will be hybrid so that people can attend by zoom or in person.  Please RSVP to clerk@wellesleyfriendsmeeting.org whether you plan to attend by zoom or in person. In this way we can estimate the number of attendees, give people the zoom link, if desired, and distribute Covid protocols.   

Contributions may be made in Allan’s memory to Wellesley Friends Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Greater Boston Food Bank, or Rockport Music. 

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