AGE: 84 • Claymont
Carrol Dean Cochran passed away peacefully on October 2, 2015 after a short illness, surrounded by the love of his family and friends near and far.
This remarkable and beloved man maintained a well-lived life right through to the end. He enjoyed making and giving beautiful woodworked gifts as well as cultivating his garden and sharing the produce with his family and friends. He remained very active with his love of golf, getting out to the gym a few days each week, working at the Kansas City BBQ Competitions during the weekends, and traveling throughout the country to visit family and friends with his daughter Kim and her husband George. He was also very active in his parish of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Claymont, proudly working at each of the 50 years of Carnival in the Spring, his Eucharistic Ministry, and his work at the parish Food Closet making a delivery of bread each week from Sweeney's Bakery and helping with deliveries from the Food Bank when needed. All who knew him could say that a visit from Carrol in his Stetson hat was a highlight of their day, as we all benefited from either one of his beautiful woodworks, a bag of his delicious vegetables, or just from being the recipient of one of his warm smiles and his hearty laughter. He had a way of bringing out the best in everyone with his charm.
Through his many years, we have all heard a story or two from Carrol, whether it was about his early years of running his family's farm in Guthrie Center, Iowa, his years of Naval Service stationed near Atlantic City, New Jersey where he met his beautiful bride of 50 years (Barbara) at a roller skating rink one Saturday afternoon, his Adventures in Accounting with the Wilmington based DuPont company for 30 years, or the 20 year job he took 5 minutes after he "retired" at the Garden Valley Nursery on Concord Pike in Wilmington. He also thoroughly enjoyed the 45 years he spent working with the fine young men of Boy Scout Troop 61 of Claymont, Delaware. Sitting still was not a favorite pastime of Carrol's!
Carrol was pre-deceased by his beloved wife Barbara Vanstone in 2007, his parents Mary Frances (Schaeffer) and Clarence E. Cochran of Guthrie Center, Iowa, his brother-in-law Joseph Vanstone of Passaic, New Jersey, and his sister-in-law Mary Cochran of Detroit, Michigan.
He is survived by his children Linda & Dale Davis, Michael Cochran, and Kimberly & George DuVilla; his grandchildren Lauren & James Donovan, Stacey Davis, Erica DuVilla, and Chris & Shannon DuVilla, as well as his beautiful great-granddaughters Adison, Alyssa, and Emerson DuVilla. He is also survived by his brother Larrie Cochran of Bullhead City, Arizona and Larrie's children Debra, Steven and Monica; Barbara's family John and Josephine Vanstone of Albany, New York and their children Darlene and Johnny; and Joseph's daughter Lixy |