Bette Lois Cohn

Bette Cohn (nee Weingarten) passed away peacefully on August 22, 2026 at the age of 95. She was a popular member of the Bridge community in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, as well as nationally. Bette will be buried next to her first husband, Nicholas Fouriezos, in Ontario, Canada. Bette was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Houston, Texas by her adoptive parents, Dorothy and Solomon Weingarten. Bette is survived by her daughters, Diana (Rich) Hoyt, and Lisa (Phillip) McAllister and her grandchildren Nicholas Fouriezos, Ariana Fouriezos, Paul Fouriezos, Ave Fouriezos, Anastasia Fouriezos, Val Hoyt, Heather McAllister and Sidney McAllister. Bette is preceded in death by her husband Nicholas Fouriezos and son, Theodore Fouriezos. Bette embraced her Canadian-Greek in-laws with a passion and considered them not only relatives by marriage but lifelong friends. She adored her mother-in-law, Mandy Fouriezos, and included her in many of her travels. Bette and her children spent countless summers in Canada with the family, and although her husband Nick passed away at a young age, it was important to her that her children build close bonds with their Greek side. Through the generations they are still the best of friends. Bette was often characterized as optimistic, generous, loving and caring. She was a world-champion bridge player and owned a tax preparation firm for 20 years. She continued to play bridge (and win!) and worked part-time through this year’s tax season. Bette loved life and a good game of cards, be it Bridge, Blackjack, Gin Rummy, or Skipbo. She had a brilliant mind and loved to be challenged, excelling at Scrabble, Backgammon, Cribbage, and doing the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle in ink. She had a passion for travel and visited many countries in her lifetime, her favorite locations being in Asia, Europe and Cuba. Bette’s greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren. She was extremely generous, taking them on cruises to the Caribbean and Europe, as well as planning annual vacations for them to join her in Sarasota every December. Bette believed in the saying “You still live on in the hearts and minds of those you touched on earth”. Bette’s generosity, positive attitude and adventurous spirit will be forever remembered and deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bette’s favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or a charity of your choice.