Janet Elizabeth Cochrane, 85, Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed away Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in her home. Ms. Cochrane was a lifetime resident of Michigan, born in Sturgis to Franklin and Clara Keyes, June 30, 1938. She was the oldest of three children, followed by a sister, Barbara and a brother, James. She grew up in Coldwater, Michigan where her father worked as bank examiner and her mother became a successful business woman. Her father was an avid golfer and her mother an accomplished bridge player and pianist, interests which Janet also followed. As a child, she spent many hours at her Grandmother Effie Greenwald’s farm, and often spoke fondly of her experiences there. Early on Janet developed a strong streak of independence demonstrated by her insistence that she attend secular high school rather than continue her education in a parochial system. She graduated from Coldwater High School in 1955 and enrolled in the University of Michigan.
In 1958 she married the boy next door, Robert Newton Cochrane, who had returned from a tour of duty in the army, and they took up residence in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Robert began his career as a newspaperman. They had two sons, Andrew, the oldest, now an ophthalmologist, in Depew, New York and Scott, a real estate broker who lives in Ann Arbor and who has been the primary caregiver during his mother’s illness. Janet and Robert were divorced in 1966.
Ms. Cochrane completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University; and went on to complete a Master’s degree there in Education. In 1970 she began a career as a reading consultant, first in the Grand Rapids school system and then in the Holt public school system. She was known as a diligent colleague who worked to introduce innovative methods in the teaching of reading.
For most of her adult life she resided in East Lansing where she enjoyed an active social life. She was known and admired for her intelligence, sense of humor and generosity. She was a gifted conversationalist and storyteller and entertained friends with hilarious stories usually about her own foibles and mistakes. She was always absolutely sincere and unpretentious.
In 1973 she met Mitch Bloomfield, a graduate student at MSU, and they began a lifelong friendship based on mutual respect and a shared ironic sense of life.
She was a nurturer by nature and often acted as a second parent and confidant for her sons’ friends. Many people from all walks of life found her to be a bridge over troubled waters. She was a lifelong liberal (although she once confessed to having campaigned for Barry Goldwater for president) and an early proponent of women’s rights. On one occasion, she publicly criticized the Michigan medical community’s treatment of breast cancer patients. She was featured in a series of articles in the Lansing State Journal where she related her own experience and how she found more progressive treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. For years afterwards women with medical problems would contact her for advice. She always made time for them.
After she retired from teaching and her sons began careers of their own, Janet satisfied a lifelong ambition by moving to a lake property in Horton, Michigan on Round Lake, near Jackson, Michigan where she entertained friends and family, planted flowers and bushes and enjoyed her Schnauzers: Fritz, Cody and Sadie.
In 2019 she decided it was time to move to a less demanding environment and choose Brookhaven Manor, an independent living facility for seniors in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she enjoyed a relaxed lifestyle. The family extends thanks and gratitude to the teams at Brookhaven Manor, Trinity Hospice, and especially to Excellence Care Services who gave care and comfort to Janet and her family.
Ms. Cochrane is predeceased by her father Franklin Keyes, mother Clara Keyes, and sister Barbara Faulkner, who died in February 2024. She is survived by her brother James (Angie) Keyes, son Andrew (Courtney) Cochrane and their children Alexis and Silas, son Scott Cochrane, friend Mitchell Bloomfield and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
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