Donald Cochrane, decorated Navy veteran and longtime Camden County teacher, has died at 91

Donald Cochrane, 91, of Mount Laurel Township, Burlington County, retired decorated Navy master chief petty officer, military and high school electrical systems instructor, environmental systems engineer, mentor, and church volunteer, died Friday, May 2, of lung cancer at his home.

Disciplined and generous by nature, and inspired to service, Chief Petty Officer Cochrane spent 20 years in the Navy, from 1952 to his discharge in 1972, and achieved its highest enlisted rank. He served around the world, from Japan to Spain to Antarctica, and earned a Navy Commendation Medal, the 1969 Daniel E. Byron Leadership Award, and a letter of commendation in 1968 from Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius.

He joined the Navy right out of high school and excelled immediately at construction electrician school in California. He became an expert in electrical maintenance, installation, and instruction, and his commander, in announcing the Byron Award, praised his “outstanding qualities of leadership and achievement.”

He won other service medals, commendations, and citations, and was an expert rifleman. His family said in a tribute: “Donald lived a life marked by service, devotion, and generosity.”

In the 1950s, he supervised electrical systems at naval power plants in Alaska, an air station in Japan, and a fuel depot in Spain. In the 1960s, he wired new recruiting stations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and maintained critical systems at a research station in Antarctica and Navy bases in Indiana, Vietnam, and Puerto Rico.

He took courses in teaching, counseling, and leadership, and directed a utilities school division at the Naval Schools of Construction in Rhode Island in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he was a science instructor for the Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“I have set up many offices and devised many organizational plans, both of which required the training of personnel to operate effectively,” he said in a work application for the Rhode Island State Department of Education.

Mr. Cochrane stayed in the classroom when he left the Navy and spent 17 years as an electric shop teacher at the Camden County Vocational and Technical Schools in Sicklerville. He earned a bachelor’s degree at what is now Rowan University in 1990 and retired from teaching in 1995.

“Donald was known for his clarity, discipline, and warmth in the classroom,” his family said.

Earlier, he was an electrical systems teacher at Willingboro High School for three years. In a 1975 evaluation, the school principal said his “lesson was very well taught” and his “authority and control of the class was impressive.”

He and his family settled in Mount Laurel after the Navy, and he worked for three years as an environmental systems engineer at the Insurance Co. of North America. He served on the vestry and several committees at Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown, was a youth leader, and taught Sunday School classes.

In 2013, he earned a lifetime service award from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. His family said: “His life reminds us that a steady hand, a generous heart, and a love for both family and country can leave a lasting impact across generations.”

Donald Cochrane was born Feb. 9, 1934, in the Bronx. He was interested in all things electrical as a boy and graduated from Samuel Gompers Vocational High School in 1952.

He married Simone Harris in 1957, and they had a daughter, Julie, and sons Duane and Craig. Due to his constant promotions and upgraded assignments, his daughter was born in Spain, and his sons were born in New York and Rhode Island.

Mr. Cochrane could fix practically anything, his family said. He collected clocks because he liked their mechanics and took his wife and children on memorable road trips to California, Florida, New York, and Canada.

He was frugal generally but shared his knowledge of home maintenance and repairs freely with his friends and neighbors. He liked to dance, play cards, and host Halloween parties in his basement.

“He set a high bar not just in how to live, but in how to treat people,” his family said. “His spirit lives on through the memories, lessons, and unconditional love he gave freely.”

His son Craig said: “He was the life of the party and generous with his time. He would help anyone do anything.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Cochrane is survived by five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and other relatives.

Memorial services were held May 7.

Donations in his name may be made to the Food Bank of South Jersey, 1501 John Tipton Blvd., Pennsauken, N.J. 08110.