J. Harwood Cochrane

James Harwood Cochrane, age 103, passed away July 25th. Recently proceeded in death by his wife of over 81 years, Louise Odell Blanks Cochrane, he is survived by children Judith Carr Cochrane Gilman-Hines (Spencer) and James Harwood Cochrane, Jr. Two daughters, Suzanne Hope Cochrane Austell Martin and Treena Louise Cochrane predeceased him. He was a wonderful “Papa” to eight grandchildren, Emily Louise “Amy” Gilman Remke (Chris), Wilba Pettus Gilman, Jr. (Kathy), James Christopher Gilman (Renée), Anne Gail Gilman Jennings (Gary), Suzanne Lucretia Austell, Elizabeth Heather Austell McKenney (deceased), Jennifer Giles Austell, Anna Knibb Austell Hogan (Arthur) and fifteen great-grandchildren. Mr. Cochrane was born in Goochland County, VA, on November 16, 1912, the sixth of seven children born to John Minor Cochrane and Wilentina Knibb. His father died when Harwood was sixteen, shortly after they had moved to Richmond. His first full-time job was driving a horse drawn wagon, delivering milk for Virginia Dairy. About four years later he started driving trucks with his brother, Calvin Cochrane. In 1935, Mr. Cochrane founded Overnite Transportation and remained at the helm for more than 50 years. Through determination and frugality, he charted the course for a successful truck line. He popularized “Less Than Truckload” hauling and standardized equipment across his fleet, both of which gave him a competitive edge in a rapidly expanding market. While deregulation crippled and eliminated many trucking competitors, Overnite thrived. By 1982, Overnite offered coast-to-coast coverage and ran some of the first twin trailers out West. Union Pacific purchased Overnite in 1986 for $1.2 billion, the largest amount ever paid for a trucking company. Eventually Overnite was spun off and purchased by UPS, now operated as UPS Freight with greatly expanded coverage. “Mr. C” leaves behind a close-knit family of 14,000 “Big O” employees to mourn his loss and leadership. He was a visionary who lead by example. He surrounded himself with like-minded individuals who created the Overnite masterpiece. As a warning, he created a Deregulation Wall, a simple red brick wall adorned with the logos of former truck lines and the words “Deregulation Done ‘Em In,” as a reminder that no one was immune to industry changes. Longtime residents of “Walnut Hill” in Rockville, he and his wife were noted benefactors to this growing Hanover community. That generosity helped create the Rockville Grocery, Community Center, Missionary Learning Center, Library and Post Office. Their benevolence also extended to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Science Museum of Virginia, University of Richmond, American Red Cross, Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Funeral arrangements by Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd. Visitation with the family in the Cochrane Chapel will be held Friday from 2-4 and 6-9 pm. Funeral services will be held Tabernacle Baptist Church on Saturday, July 30 at 11am. Interment follows at Westhampton Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Endowment Fund of Tabernacle Baptist Church, 1925 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220. l