Mio Jane Cohen

August 3, 1963 - June 8, 2019

Mio Jane Cohen of Salt Lake City passed away peacefully in the presence of her friends and family on June 8, 2019 after a fierce two year battle with cancer. She was 55.

Mio was born on August 3, 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Jerome D. (Jerry) and Jane Morse Cohen. Originally named Amelia by her parents, she announced at age 3 that "I call myself 'Mio'," and was known as such from that day on.

She always loved animals, especially horses, and as a child she saved up her gift money for years to buy her own horse while she was still in high school. She studied animal husbandry at the Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute ("Essex Aggie") in Danvers, Mass., from which she graduated in 1981.

After working with horses for several years, and as a bookkeeper and office manager, Mio co-founded Shards Stained and Etched Glass Studio in Peabody, Mass., where she gave lessons, restored historic stained glass for churches and other organizations, and created many original pieces.

Beginning in 1999, she was an enthusiastic participant at the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada. She attended for many years, first as part of the TOTEM theme camp and later working for several years as a greeter.

In 2005, she moved to Salt Lake City, where her artistic interests turned to the medium of fused glass. As a glass artist, she possessed a keen eye for color and design, creating many striking and beautiful works in both abstract and figurative styles.

For the last fifteen years, Mio was the Office Manager at The Urban Garden Company, a premier landscaping business in Salt Lake City, where her intelligence, creativity, and attention to detail were essential to the firm's success.

Mio is survived by her parents, Jerry Cohen of Hanover, Mass. and Jane Morse of Garner, N.C., her younger brother and sister-in-law, Art Cohen and Alicia Martinelli of Garner, N.C., two nieces and one nephew (Maria, Alice, and David Cohen), her cats Jeeves and J.J., and her four retired chickens.

There will be a celebration of Mio's life on Saturday, June 15, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Starks Funeral Parlor, Salt Lake City. Guests are encouraged to use the complimentary valet parking on the north side of the building.

In lieu of flowers, Mio would have appreciated donations toward the Salt Lake County Animal Services (511 W 3900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84123) or an animal shelter of your choice.