
WILMINGTON — Dr. Oleksandr “Alex” Kogan, 54, passed away surrounded by his family Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, after two years of courageous battle with cancer. He was born April 5, 1964, in Odessa, Ukraine, to Samariy Kogan and Maya Grushko.
In 1986, he graduated from Odessa State University. Alex was always a “science guy,” who expressed deep interest in scientific innovations and breakthroughs, which is what drove him to then receive his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics in 1993. He met his wife, Olga, in 1989, and they were married in 1992 in Moscow, Russia. In 1999, Alex and his family moved to America, and he started working for Corning as an optical engineer.
His love and passion for his job gained him much respect from his colleagues as well as receiving numerous awards for outstanding work. He found a new home in North Carolina. He loved the ocean, which reminded him of his childhood on the coast of the Black Sea. He enjoyed traveling, photography, art and music.
He loved life, never stopped wondering, had an amazing sense of humor and had the most vibrant smile in the world. He was strong, brave, compassionate, optimistic and handsome. He had a tremendous passion for knowledge and education and shared it with those around him. He will be missed so much by many.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Olga Kogan; daughter and “apple of his eye,” Anya Kogan, who followed in his footsteps and obtained an advanced degree in physics; parents, Samariy Kogan and Maya Grushko, who he greatly cherished and adored; childhood best friends, Yuriy Milsteyn and Yury Michel; as well as numerous friends from around the world; and his silly cats, Max, Gary and Creamsicle.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 12, at Coble Ward-Smith Funeral Home with Rabbi Emily Losben-Ostrov officiating. Shiva will be held at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Temple of Israel in the Reibman Center.
The family would like to send its sincere appreciation to his coworkers at Corning for all their tremendous support and kindness, and all the wonderful people in the Zimmer Cancer Center, especially Dr. McNulty Jr. and his team, Chrissy, Angie and Amy. Also, a thank you to Dr. Sanoff from UNC Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Zimmer Cancer Center.
Share online condolences with the family at Coble Ward-Smith Funeral & Cremation Service.