Frances Parks Cochrane of 708 Washington Avenue in Weldon, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 9, 2008.

Mrs. Cochrane was the daughter of the late Alice P. Parks and Luther A. Parks of Tillery, N. C. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Haywood D. Cochrane, Sr. and her sisters Lucille P. Marks and Katherine A. Parks.

She was educated in the public schools in Scotland Neck, N. C. and at the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

After marriage, she continued to work as Deputy Register of Deeds for Halifax County and later was administrative assistant to the District Engineer, NCDOT, Division of Highways.

In addition to being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, she was a very active resident and citizen of Weldon, Halifax County, and the State of North Carolina. She was a member of the North Carolina Symphony Society, the Music Club, a founding member of the Weldon Junior Women’s Club, and an officer of the statewide organization of Women’s Clubs, a lifetime member of the Halifax County Arts Council, a member of the Thursday Afternoon Club, a member of the Bridge Club, and other bridge groups too numerous to mention. She was also a member of the Halifax County Library Board and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Weldon Memorial Library where she served as Chairman of the Board for over four decades.

She was also a dedicated and passionate member of Grace Episcopal Church in Weldon where she was a member of the choir, the Vestry, a Sunday School teacher and President of the Episcopal Church Women. Somehow, she also found time to garden, read voraciously, cook, do cross word puzzles, use her debating skills to dominate frequent family debates, and be a wonderful lifetime friend to many, many people.

She loved African Violets and hummingbirds as well as dogs, traveling, and playing bridge as much as possible. Above all else, she loved her family, her daughter, sons, nephews, grandchildren and one great grand child – supporting and encouraging them in all that they tried.

She is survived by her daughter, Nita Cochrane of Weldon; her sons, Haywood D. Cochrane, Jr. of Burlington, and Luther P. Cochrane of Charleston, S. C.; daughter-in-law, Margaret S. Cochrane, of Charleston, S. C.; grandchildren, Elizabeth Cochrane Gorman and her husband, Brandon Gorman, of Quantico, Virginia, Matthew Parks Cochrane and his wife, Margaret L. Cochrane, of Charlotte, Kathryn L. Cochrane of Charlotte, Robert S. Cochrane of Charleston, S. C., Haywood D. Cochrane, III of Chapel Hill, Margaret Parks Cochrane of Charleston, S. C., Alexander R. Cochrane of Chapel Hill, and Parks D. Cochrane of Charleston, S. C.; great granddaughter Madeline Elizabeth Gorman of Quantico, Virginia; nephews, Arthur L. Cochrane of Rocky Mount, William V. Cochrane of Virginia Beach, VA, James A. Marks of Atlanta, GA, and Harry Lee Marks, Jr. of Scotland Neck.

The family will receive friends at Askew Funeral Services, 731 Roanoke Avenue, Roanoke Rapids, N.C. from 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM on Saturday, October 11, 2008 and at the Grace Episcopal Church Parrish House in Weldon, NC, at 1:00 until service time on Sunday, October 12, 2008. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on October 12, at Grace Episcopal Church in Weldon with Rev. Ben R. Duffey officiating. Burial will follow in Cedarwood Cemetery in Weldon.

Memorial donations may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 308, Weldon, NC 27890, or Weldon Memorial Library, 6 West First Street, Weldon, NC 27890.