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William Cochrane
July 4, 1934 - December 30, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">Bill (William David) Cochrane <br />July 4, 1934 &ndash; December 30, 2015 <br />Geologist, banker, trusted financial advisor, adventurer, pilot, golfer, photographer, friend and mentor to many, family man. <br />Loving husband to Jeannine Cochrane (Picot), father to Louise (Mike Stewart), David (Jennifer Cochrane) and Claire (Steve Evans), brother to Peter Cochrane, and grandfather to Jamie Evans, Erin Evans, Caroline Cochrane and Natalie Cochrane. <br />Born and raised English speaking in a Francophone area of Montreal, Bill learned people skills at a young age that would serve him well for the rest of his life. A natural story teller, Bill told us how he dodged bullies while befriending many Francophone children in the neighbourhood. To his credit Bill taught himself to speak French fluently by the age of ten. In grade five, his family moved to Sherbrooke where he attended St Patrick&rsquo;s School under the governance of Irish Catholic Brothers. This was another opportunity to make new friends; Bill and his brother Peter flourished and together survived the strict school environment. Bill became an avid hockey player; he recounted how he practiced on the frozen outdoor ice whenever he could. Never idle, one summer he entered the Cheerio sponsored city wide yo-yo tournament, winning first prize: an oak plaque we still have today. As children, Bill amazed us with such tricks as &ldquo;around the world&rdquo; and &ldquo;rock the baby&rdquo;. <br />At 16 years of age, in 1950, the army highly encouraged young men to enroll in cadet training. Bill completed three summers, first as a Gunner, and then as an Aircraftman 1st class. One day, he modified his headgear with cotton to protect himself from the incredible noise, earning him a stiff rebuke from his sergeant. With military logic, he was subsequently promoted to Aircraftman 1st class in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Bill proudly displayed both of his discharge certificates: one from the army and the other from the RCAF. <br />Upon high school graduation opportunities were difficult to find, but with encouragement from a St Patrick&rsquo;s School Alumnus, Bill applied and was accepted at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Bill graduated with a B.Sc. in Geology in 1956. It was at St FX that Bill truly learned the value of education. Bill had one of his most fortunate moments at St FX when he met the love of his life, Jeannine Picot. Jeannine had caught Bill&rsquo;s eye while playing the lead vocalist in the school&rsquo;s production of Finnian&rsquo;s Rainbow. <br />Bill began his geology career working for a mining company in the dense forests of Bathurst, New Brunswick, which coincidentally was Jeannine&rsquo;s hometown. When the camp cook became ill, Bill took over, developing his cooking skills. We grew up on Dad&rsquo;s baked beans and pork, beef stew, spaghetti and perfect gravy for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. <br />It was a job offer in the oil fields of Alberta in 1957 (oil was $3 per barrel) that sparked Bill&rsquo;s life plans. With what little money and time they had, Bill and Jeannine married, relocated, and honeymooned in Banff along the way. In his five years out west, he worked on rigs in remote Alberta and BC while welcoming three children. It was during this time Bill developed a deep appreciation and love of the outdoors. He passed this love on to our family through happy camping trips, canoe rides, long hikes and of course many campfire stories. <br />Bill had done his time as a rig geologist. After serious thought and guidance from friends, Bill decided it was time to start a new direction. Having studied business courses at night in Regina, he decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Western Ontario in London. With Jeannine&rsquo;s tireless support and Bill&rsquo;s determination, he graduated and landed his first business job at TD Bank in Toronto. <br />He sharpened his financial skills at TD, but it was when he joined Burns Fry and moved the family to Montreal, his native territory, that his natural people skills paid off. His business knowledge broadened beyond geology into all areas of Canadian business. He worked late many nights and weekends as the business grew. The five year odyssey was interrupted by the Quebec economic crisis and he was transferred to the growing Toronto head office in 1972. <br />The small firm of Burns Fry became Nesbitt Burns and Bill flourished as Director of Institutional Sales and Research for a number of years. He played a significant role in building one of Canada&rsquo;s top investment research teams in Toronto, thanks in part to his passion to develop people and business knowledge. Bill had a passion for education and was known for helping women and men succeed in their careers. Bill thanked his tremendous success to a strong Canadian economy, hard work and, as he would freely admit, a certain amount of good luck. One of Bill&rsquo;s last positions before retiring was Chairman and CEO of Jones Heward Investments in Toronto. <br />Not resting in retirement, Bill developed another passion: flying airplanes. He obtained his private pilot license in 1990 and purchased a Cessna 182. He shared his business experience and became actively involved in directing and chairing committees at the Brampton Flying Club. <br />Bill and Jeannine flourished from the young age of 21 and 22 and enjoyed 58 years of a beautiful marriage. His love for Jeannine was never ending and their relationship very deep. He was a family man who encouraged his children to pursue the education they wanted, provided a beautiful and secure home and worried about us as any good parent would. We bonded together during summer vacations that would take us to Montreal (to visit his brother and our eight cousins) and to New Brunswick (to visit Jeannine&rsquo;s large family). Winter trips included skiing in the eastern townships, the Laurentians and Stowe, Vermont. Our memories of these times with our family are our fondest. He loved his grandchildren and entertained them with fun, imaginative stories. He would often advise them to take accounting so they could understand the language of business, regardless of their career choice. <br />Bill was an avid golfer and was a member of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club since moving to Mississauga where he developed many friendships. As in business, Bill was a prolific source of advice and encouragement to many of his golfing friends. He was involved in the golf club by participating in committees and tournaments. Over the years he won the Hiram Walker Trophy and the Men&rsquo;s B flight Club Championship and as any golfer would envy, made the coveted &ldquo;hole in one&rdquo;, not once, but twice. <br />Bill had learned that education did not have a start and finish; it had to continue on an ongoing basis. He encouraged many to pursue education throughout their careers. Bill never hesitated to share his story; not to brag but to let people know what was possible. <br />He became a generous supporter of St FX. You can visit the Cochrane-Picot lecture hall and classroom named after him at the Schwartz School of Business. He also contributed to the Jonathan Deitcher Financial Trading Room and set up a nursing scholarship fund in his late aunt Thelma Kempffer&rsquo;s honour. In addition, he was a significant contributor to the business school at the University of Western Ontario. <br />Bill will be missed but his spirit remains in our hearts in everything we do. Goodbye Bill but I&rsquo;m sure we will see you again for a golf game, a pleasant conversation or a well-planned adventure. <br />We wish to thank the medical staff at Credit Valley Hospital for their excellent care. <br />In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Distance Nursing Studies program at St. Francis Xavier University or to the Credit Valley Hospital. <br />A celebration of Bill&rsquo;s life will occur on Saturday, March 5th at 2:00 pm at the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Mississauga. <br /></div>