William J. Cohen
William J. Cohen, passed away peacefully and surrounded with love on May 1, 2026. He is survived by his two children and their spouses, his grandchildren, cousins, and a wide circle of beloved friends.
A native Delawarean, Bill grew up and lived most of his life in Wilmington, DE. He holds multiple degrees from the University of Delaware (BA, MA) and the University of Pennsylvania (MA, MPA, PhD).
Bill had a distinguished career as an urban and environmental planner in Delaware, spanning more than three decades from 1967 to 2001. His work significantly shaped both the physical and legislative landscape of the state, particularly in land use and waterfront revitalization. From 1971 to 1977, he served as Planning Director for the City of Newark, Delaware, where he led the passage of the state’s first floodplain ordinance and the creation of Delaware’s first bike path system. He also held positions with the Delaware State Planning Office (1967–1971) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (1990–1998). In addition, he operated his own multidisciplinary consulting practice for 16 years.
In 1992, Bill was appointed Executive Director of the Delaware Governor’s Task Force on the Future of the Brandywine and Christina Rivers. This effort was one of the most significant projects of his career, laying the essential groundwork for the development of Wilmington’s current riverfront.
He was an instructor in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware for 23 years (1978–2001) and joined the faculty at Temple University in 2001. In 2003, he achieved one of his most cherished accomplishments – earning his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He concluded his academic career at Temple University (2001–2025), where he focused on ecological planning and environmental design at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
Among his many professional achievements, Bill became a member of the American Planning Association in 1978 and was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP) in 2010 – one of the highest honors in the planning profession. Over the course of his career, he authored or co-authored more than 65 technical publications, reports, and studies. The William J. Cohen Papers at the University of Delaware Library stand as a lasting record of his contributions and of Delaware’s planning history.
Outside of his professional life, Bill’s competitive spirit and passion were most evident on the water. A longtime member of the Wilmington Rowing Center, he took great pride in competing alongside his teammates and friends. He especially cherished serving as the voice of the Diamond State Regatta each year.
Bill lived life fully – whether rowing on the Christina River, cooking a delicious meal, working in his yard, enjoying a glass of wine, or spending time with friends and family. He deeply valued his friendships, as reflected in the steady stream of visitors who came to see him at home and in the hospital during his brief illness. He made a profound impact on everyone he met and will be remembered by all who were fortunate to know him. His song has ended, but the melody lingers on.
No formal funeral or memorial services will be held at Bill’s request. Bill’s family will host a celebration of his life later this summer. Friends and colleagues will be notified once arrangements are finalized.
In Bill’s memory, contributions can be made to the American Planning Association Foundation, c/o American Planning Association, P.O. Box 4291, Carol Stream, IL 60197-4291 or online by clicking here; the Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, P.O. Box 9734, Newark, DE 19714-9734 or online by clicking here; or the Wilmington Rowing Center, P.O. Box 7587, Wilmington, Delaware 19803 or online by clicking here.
Diane Berger
I adored Bill and always found conversations with him interesting and thoughtful. His meals were always wonderful. Philip and I still have the Maine Weather Stick he brought back from Maine on our porch. His humor and his intellect will be missed. May his memory be a Blessing. Run with the wind Bill
The Muchs
The world, or at least our neck of the woods, is a lonelier place without Bill. From judging pie eating contests to talking for hours over food at Cafe Verdi. To know Bill was to feel his caring heart. So long friend; you will be dearly missed. Mary and Mandell
Jeff Seemans
That mischievous smile says it all! He was a force of nature and could light up any room he walked into. Had a quiet intellect and great sense of humor! A true gentleman!
Ray Bedford
I always enjoyed Bill’s flair of life and his intellect
Al Dietert
A great friend for many many years, with a fun loving smile. Will miss you Bill!
The Spinners
We had the privilege of being neighbors of Bill’s in the Triangle in the ‘90s and dog park buddies. We shared Penn experiences and a love of the Brandywine Park. I’ll never forget Bill smoking his cigar in the evenings and calling out for his dog (Barney!) in his booming voice. What a lovely man – he will be missed.
Andrew Zimmerman
Bill was my first professional supervisor, starting in 1973, and quickly became my mentor, a status and relationship that continued for the next 53 years.
It was also my honor to regard him as a good friend. And I worked beside him, as his senior associate, to help build a land use and environmental planning practice. I will be eternally grateful to him for all his guidance, teaching, and encouragement every step of the way. I will dearly miss him!!
Gerard Esposito
Bill and I worked together and became friends when he was with the State Planning Office and more directly when we were coworkers at DNREC. He had a great intellect and a wonderful sense of humor. I think of him often. He will be missed. Jerry Esposito
Jim Chaconas
Bill was the guy I aspired to be like. Always upbeat and positive in a cheerful and entertaining way. A person could learn a lot about living a good life just by hanging around with him even for short time. He will be missed.
Susan J Oldenburg
David Klein and I only knew Bill as the voice of WRC at the DSMR and many years of Santa Rows. He never spoke about his many accomplishments and I am in awe of all that he achieved. He will be sincerely missed by the rowing community and his many, many friends.
Gary Burcham
An annual highlight over the past twenty(?) years has been joining Bill for class discussions at Temple, and periodically meeting with him and friends for lunch or dinner. His intellect was only matched by his humor, and he will be dearly missed.
Jeremy Clark
I was lucky enough to have Wild Bill as my neighbor and friend! He always treated me as one of his own. He will be missed dearly!! Love you buddy!
CHARLIE WEYMOUTH ARCHITECT
Trusted Friend, Professional counselor, fellow biker, Advocate of our Waters, Bill took action beyond others’ just visual dreams–He pulled the team together to make the Christina Riverfront happen.
Charlie Weymouth Architect
harry themal
In my many years of writing for The News Journal, I could always count on him for the complete and useful knowledge about planning for progress for Delaware’s future, particularly for the waterfront potential of the Brandywine and Christina.
The state should be grateful for his contributions.
Edward O’Donnell
Bill was both a friend and colleague who will be sorely missed. His contributions to the planning scene were significant and helped to shape the state’s landscape. Bill’s sense of humor and wit were legendary. He was never shy about expressing his opinions on a wide range of issues. Those opinions were shaped by a keen intellect and caring nature.
Rest in Peace Bill
Catherine Timko
My condolences to the family. Bill is partly why I became a city planner. He heard me talking to a friend where I waitressed while he was having lunch about my career. He shared I should be a city planner. I looked it up, sounded interesting, changed my education path. He was my first professor.
Christopher Zelov
While working on a film involving Biospheric Poetry, I met Bill walking into
Ian McHarg’s office back in 1999. We literally bumped into each other, and
started a creative conversation that has been going on for 26+ years. We collaborated
on the City21 film and book. Had many dinners together. Learned from each others
experiences. Since I feel we are Spiritual Beings having a Human experience,
somehow I sensed we were meant to meet in this lifetime. As Emerson said: “people destined
to meet will do so, apparently by chance, at precisely the right moment.”
Thanks for the collaborative magic . The Eco-Humanism work continues….
I miss your unique voice and joie de vivre.
Mike Rowe
Bill was such a wonderful neighbor! I always loved seeing him out back tending to the oasis he created for the local wildlife. Those animals loved him as much as the rest of us. Some days the foxes would literally sit by his back door and wait for him to come outside!
I’ll never forget the time he knocked on my door, not long after I moved here, to invite me to go with him to vote in our local elections. We got to have great conversations about jazz music and local politics, and the latter motivated me to get more involved with our community. His presence and influence will remain in our neighborhood forever and I would imagine that’s a sentiment shared by every group lucky enough to have been graced with his presence. Love you Bill and thank you for everything!!
Oscar and Yolany Zelaya
We were friends for more than 30 years with Bill, and lucky to be part of his life. One of the things about Bill is that he was always positive about everything. We will remember him always this way.
Kathy Clark
Bill was my next door neighbor. Not only a great neighbor but a dear friend & was like a father to my son. We shared many stories having lived in the Wilmington area for a long time but he was one of the most intelligent, kind, careing people I know. We shared gardening, antiques, art & had our evening cocktails on the deck when the weather was nice. We both shared our love for the birds & our fox friends. At Bills request I will continue to feed our fox friends. You are truly missed everyday by Myself, Mike & Jeremy.
Dennis Livrone
My condolences to Bill’s family. Bill was a colleague of mine at Temple University. More than that, he was a mentor to me both in the field of urban planning and in the teaching techniques of higher education. I was privileged to be part of Bill’s “Lunch Bunch” at Temple where he always had interesting professional and life stories to inform and entertain our group. He will be missed. RIP, my friend.