Edward Cohrs

Edward J. Cohrs, a Louisville resident for over 25 years, left this life on Friday, September 11, 2020, at UC Health Anschutz, following a nine-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was 67 years old. Born July 23, 1953, in Cedar Rapids, IA, he was the eldest son of Jack and Betty Jean Cohrs. Eddie grew up in towns throughout the Midwest, including Des Moines, IA, Golden, CO, and Rockford, IL. He graduated in 1971 from Guilford High School in Rockford, where he starred in football, hockey, and golf, including leading his golf team to a sectional championship as a senior. In 1975 Eddie earned his degree in Education from Arizona State University, where he was a proud member of the SAE fraternity, serving as President his senior year. During his time at ASU, Eddie met his “first wife”, Ellie Marasco, at Freddie’s, where they both worked as bartenders. Eddie and Ellie were married in Oak Brook, IL on July 10, 1976, though they continued to reside in the Phoenix, AZ area for nearly 20 years. Eddie began his illustrious career in the medical device industry at McGaw Respiratory Therapy in 1976, before moving to Valleylab in 1979. In almost two decades at Valleylab, Eddie achieved highly in a number of roles: first as a top sales representative, then as a sales manager who built the highest-performing sales team in the company, and later as a senior executive who traveled the globe promoting the company’s products, including overseeing the launch of Ligasure, which continues to be the gold standard of laparoscopic medical devices to this day. In 1997 Eddie left Valleylab to found Sound Surgical Technologies, based in Louisville, which developed a successful and revolutionary liposuction device that uses ultrasonic waves to allow plastic surgeons to perform procedures in a gentler and more accurate way. Following his departure from Sound Surgical, Eddie returned to a sales management role with Gyrus ACMI, where he built yet another top-performing team. Retiring in 2011, following his myeloma diagnosis, Eddie continued to serve former colleagues, from throughout his long career, as a trusted adviser and beloved mentor for the rest of his life. Eddie was a life-long athlete, and his competitive nature drove him to be the best at whatever sport he happened to be involved in at that moment, whether it be football, hockey, cycling, or rollerblading. But his most enduring passion was for golf. After settling in Louisville, Eddie became an active member of the Coal Creek Men’s Golf Association, where he earned both victories, and the affectionate admiration of those he played with and against. Eddie is survived by his wife of 44 years, Ellie, his children, Jennifer Cohrs, Bonnie Moxhay, and Kevin Cohrs, his son-in-law Chris Moxhay, his daughter-in-law Kristina Cohrs, his grandchildren Justin Robertson, Stella Robertson, and Little Miss Moxhay, his younger brother Marty Cohrs, and his sister-in-law Cindy Cohrs. Eddie was predeceased by his parents and older sister, Cindy Boyd. Donations can be made in Eddie’s name to the CU Foundation’s Myeloma Research Fund, which supports his oncologist Dr. Tomer Mark’s groundbreaking efforts to find a cure for multiple myeloma. Eddie is also survived by the hundreds of dear friends he made throughout his life, and continued to hold close to the very end. May we all continue to strive to live up to the wonderful example he selflessly provided for u