Barbara Cochrane

COCHRANE, Barbara — Holbrook, New York

Barbara Cochrane of Holbrook, New York, passed away peacefully on November 21, 2025, at the age of 100.She was born in Manhattan in 1925 to Alwyn and Emmeline (Duffield) Holmes, who had emigrated from England only a few years earlier. Barbara’s early life was marked by hardship: her father died when she was just seven, due in part to wounds sustained during the first months of World War I, and her mother passed away not long afterward. Barbara and her sister, Marion, learned self-reliance early, supporting themselves as telephone operators in Hempstead, Long Island.

It was around this time that Barbara met the love of her life, her high-school sweetheart, Harold Cochrane. They married and soon began a family. Their early years together were tested by World War II; Harold, serving in the U.S. Navy, departed from Virginia Beach for two years at sea, participating in the battles of Normandy and in the Pacific Theater. When he returned, they built a life together with characteristic steadiness and devotion, living first in Uniondale, then Southold, and later Sarasota.

They remained happily married for six decades, until Harold’s passing in 2006 after a long illness. Barbara continued to live independently in Sarasota for sixteen years, meeting the challenges of aging with the same strength and determination that had shaped her youth. When living alone became difficult, she moved to Holbrook, New York, to be near her extended family and to benefit from the care and companionship they lovingly provided.

Those who knew Barbara remember her as loving, self-reliant, quick to laugh, loyal, proper, and devoted to her home and family. She is survived by her three children—Maureen Carfero, Ronald Cochrane, and Harold Cochrane Jr.—as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whose names are too numerous to list but who brought her great joy.

Her final wish was simple and heartfelt: to be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Harold. A brief service will be held in February, after which she will be interred at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida.