Funeral Services For Former Southold Town Supervisor Jean Cochran Begin Monday

SOUTHOLD, NY — As funeral services for former Southold Town Supervisor Jean Cochran begin on Monday, memories were shared of the tremendous impact she made in her life and work.

Jean Worthington Cochran of Southold died at home on February 16, 2017. The former Southold Town supervisor was 85 years old, her obituary read.

The family will receive friends on Monday, February 20 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Homes, Inc., located at 51400 Main Road in Southold.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the chapel of the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home.

Interment will follow at Willow Hill Cemetery, 48721 Main Road, in Southold.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Southold Town for the maintenance and benefit of Jean Cochran Park, Eastern Long Island Hospital and East End Hospice would be appreciated.

"I had the pleasure of working with Jean while I was an assessor," said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell. "She was more than willing to fight the good fight on issues she believed were in the best interest for the town. She was also willing to listen to listen to the different perspectives of others. She had a deep commitment to the community. One thing that people didn't usually get to see is the care of the workers of the town every day. She was always friendly, always made sure she said 'hi' to everyone in Town Hall and made sure that they knew they were appreciated."

Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio shared his memories of the former supervisor. "She taught me the value of always listening and asking questions, no matter what the the political persuasion of the person," he said.

Gwen Groocock, a news reporter during Cochran's time as supervisor, also paid tribute. "She was an incredible woman. I spent a lot of time with her as a reporter, and I will always remember her strength, humor and intelligence. On the morning of 9/11/2001, she was at her finest, working for days to coordinate Southold Town's response.

"But it is the sum of her years of commitment to our town and her leadership talent that has left the biggest mark. She had a keen ability to navigate and balance all the interests of the business, environmental and other factions to push forward with her board's preservation agenda, in particular. Those were interesting times, with developers throwing up subdivisions in the farm fields of Riverhead, and eyeing Southold. We could easily have gone that way, but we did not."

She added, "Jean Cochran's legacy is literally written in the land. She and her board took decisive action at a critical time, and saved the soul of the North Fork. When I look out over the wide-open farm fields, I think of her."

To send your memories of, and thoughts about, Jean Cochran for a full Patch tribute, please email Lisa.Finn@patch.com.

Patch file photo.