William Earl Cochran Jr. "Bill"

William Earl Cochran, Jr., (Bill) 87, of Concord, died October 28, 2021 at his home. In life, Bill was a kind, honest, hardworking and fun man who cherished God, his wife, family, friends, and community.

Bill was born in Concord on March 25, 1934 to the late William Earl Cochran, Sr. and Fannie Little Cochran. He loved telling childhood stories of his times in Concord as a young boy and man. Bill is a 1952 graduate of Concord High School where he was on the football team and played in the very first “Bell Game” between A.L. Brown and Concord. Following high school, Bill continued his education and football career at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, graduating in 1954. Following his graduation, Bill completed his degree in Civil Engineering at NC State in 1956.

Following his education at NC State, Bill worked as an engineer in Charlotte, NC and also assisted his father’s concrete business, William Earl Cochran & Son Concrete Construction. Many driveways in Concord were laid by this father and son pair and later with Bill and his sons. Bill accepted a position as City Engineer in Concord and later started an engineering consulting business out of his home which he did until his retirement.

In his adult life, Bill held multiple leadership positions in Concord and with his church, Forest Hill United Methodist. At Forest Hill, he served as Chairman of the Building Committee of the new sanctuary in 1989 and served as Chairman of the Administrative Board. More recently, Bill enjoyed serving hotdogs to the community on Fridays. In Concord, Bill was on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Cabarrus County and served a term as president. Bill was committed to enhancing the lives of others. He relished in serving pancakes on Pancake Day, sponsoring athletic teams or volunteering in different ways to help people through the programs offered at the club.

Bill had many loves in his life, but above them all was his love of his bride, Patience Goldston Cochran (Paiti.) They were married at Forest Hill United Methodist on January 24, 1960, and throughout their 61-year marriage, they were loving, kind and respectful to each other – a true model of selfless and unconditional love. Regarding Paiti, Bill often said to his family, “Look how pretty she is!” He regularly expressed his gratitude and admiration to Paiti, even in his last days. Bill also loved spending time with his sons, his daughters-in-law, and his six grandchildren. His grandchildren had his heart.

In addition to his wife and family, Bill loved and supported Concord High School, Lees-McRae College, and NC State. Bill organized and attended many reunions with Concord High and Lees-McRae College. An avid sports fan, Bill regularly attended sporting events, cheered for the teams on TV and followed them in the paper.

Bill also loved times at their mountain house. In 1987, Bill and Paiti moved 100-year-old logs to a mountain in Banner Elk, NC. The couple worked diligently with the construction of this home overlooking Grandfather Mountain. This beautiful and peaceful place provided countless memories of Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas celebrations, card games on the porch, snowy shut-in weekends, ski trips, napping in the hammock and more with friends and family. In addition to spending time at the mountain house, Bill loved playing tennis, hiking and fishing in the NC mountains, snow skiing at Beech Mountain and Wyoming, relaxing at Lake Waccamaw and watching and hearing birds on his screened-in porch at his Concord home.

Bill is survived by his wife, Patience Goldston and his sons, Tom Cochran and his wife, Virginia and Corey Cochran and his wife, Amy. His grandchildren include Ellie Cochran and her fiancé, Andrew Piner of Baltimore, MD, Justus Cochran of Raleigh, William Cochran of Missoula, MT, Malcolm Cochran of Washington DC, Isaac Cochran and Samuel Cochran of Colorado Springs, CO.

Service and Visitation: Memorial services will be held on Sunday, October 31, 2021 at Forest Hill United Methodist Church at 265 Union Street North, Concord at 3:00 pm. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the sanctuary. Burial will be private.

For those who wish to honor the life of Bill Cochran, memorials can be made to Forest Hill United Methodist at 265 Union Street North, Concord, NC 28025, the Boys and Girls Club of Cabarrus County at 247 Spring Street NW, Concord, NC 28025 or Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County at 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.