Albert C. Cochrane Jr.

BIGFORK - Albert C. Cochrane, 74, of Bigfork died Monday, July 19, 2004 surrounded by his loving wife and sons after a long and valiant battle with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Born Jan. 26, 1930, in New Haven, Conn., the only child of Bert and Lory Cochrane, Al grew up and attended schools in Massachusetts and Michigan before the family moved to Billings in 1946. Al graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1947 and went on to attend the University of Montana Journalism School graduating in 1951 with a BA degree and a commission from the ROTC program as a Second Lieutenant in the USAF.

He married his college sweetheart, Garene Webber of Great Falls, in 1951 and together they started a family ultimately producing four sons, Mike, Jeff, John and Tim.

Al began his Air Force career as a squadron navigator flying 4,000 hours with the Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service on special troop carrier missions in the C-124 Globemaster to all parts of the globe - Europe, Greenland, India, Nepal, Lebanon, Brazil, New Zealand and Antarctica.

He entered the public information field in 1959 serving as a Public Information Officer at assignments in Illinois, Washington D.C., New Mexico, Vietnam, Belgium, Colorado and Montana. He retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1979 and moved to Bigfork.

Once retired, Al plunged into civic and community service in Bigfork serving on the Montana Aeronautics Board, the Bigfork School Board as a member and chairman, as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 13, member of Flathead Lake Cherry Growers and volunteer ski instructor at Big Mountain.

He was very involved in the Episcopal Church as a parishioner of St. Patrick's (Ferndale) and St Andrew's (Polson) and served on the Commission on Ministries and as member of the volunteer Prison Ministry. Al was also active in affairs of the University of Montana serving as an Alumni Association delegate, member of Sigma Chi fraternity and he was a rabid fan at Griz football games.

Al is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Garene; sons Mike of Bigfork; Jeff (Janice) of Billings; John of Bigfork; and Tim of Seattle; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren as well as numerous very special aunts, cousins and friends.

The family thanks the numerous medical professionals who provided such compassionate care over the last few years including Drs. Lindsay, Obermiller and Rossetto of Kalispell and most especially Dr. Cara Harrop of Polson. Also, the family expresses grateful appreciation to the nurses and caregivers of Lake County Home Health and Hospice who took such a personal interest in Al right up until the end.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bigfork HS Athletic Field Development Fund, Box 188, Bigfork, MT 59911; St Andrew's Episcopal Church, 110 6th Ave. East, Polson, MT 59860; or the Don Anderson J-School Building Fund, University of Montana School of Journalism, Missoula, MT 59812-0648.

Committal with military honors will take place Friday, July 23, at 10 a.m. at Lake View Cemetery in Polson. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at St Andrew's Episcopal Church in Polson.

Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory of Polson is handling the arrangements.