Thomas C. Cochran III

OSTERVILLE —

During the week, Thomas C. Cochran III was an institutional stock trader at Adams, Harkness & Hill (now known as Canaccord Adams) in Boston's financial district, where he was a senior vice president. But on weekends, Tom transformed his refined and reflective demeanor, and immersed himself amidst old fenders, rusty bumpers, worn auto seats, and faded dashboards in passionate pursuit of his 30-year hobby of restoring vintage "muscle" cars.

Tom's interest in refurbishing classic high-performance cars began when he was a teenager in Dedham, when he and his close friend and neighbor, Nick Adams, began collecting hubcaps that were fatalities of the potholes on High Street, where they grew up. To supplement their supply, they even ventured onto the median strip on nearby Route 128. Their passion was such that they once persuaded Nick's father to get up at 4 a.m. on Easter Sunday to drive them to the median strip of what was then the pothole-ridden Southeast Expressway to collect all the lost hubcaps that had accumulated from the previous winter.

After graduating from college, Tom expanded his hubcap business and began to buy a broader array of old auto parts, which he would use to rebuild his fixer-uppers. While Tom's first car was a Pontiac Trans Am, he quickly gravitated to Oldsmobile 442s, which he specialized in right up to his death, at 47, from recurring leukemia, on Dec. 9, 2007.

Tom's approach to refurbishing cars was no ordinary hobby; it was a painstakingly detailed process, requiring the sourcing of rare, discontinued parts and sometimes the complete disassembly and reassembly of an automobile. Known as a frame-off restoration, the process could take years and often had him traveling up and down the East Coast, buying parts that he would inventory in his family's garages and basements. His father recalls Tom's inventory expanding from a corner of their basement in Dedham to absorbing their would-be wine cellar and, ultimately, virtually the entire basement, which Tom referred to as "the Parts Room."

Tom grew up summers on Cape Cod, and it was there that he took his business to the next level, thanks to two longtime close friends who lived nearby. His initial "joint venture" was the transformation of Peter Healey's first car, a 1972 Chevrolet Nova, given to him by his grandmother. Peter recalls: "After spending weeks collecting parts for it, one morning I drove it over to Tommy's garage, and we transformed it with a jacked-up suspension, Craiger chrome wheels, a hood scoop, and a glass-pack exhaust. It was so much fun; it got us started down the road of car enthusiasm." Gus Riley, an avid car enthusiast from Cape Cod, worked for years with Tom on his cars, and became best friends. When Tom had chemotherapy in 2002, Gus shaved his head in support of his good friend. Gus said, "Tom talked me into my first muscle car; his passion and enthusiasm were contagious. Many others were involved, some for the cars, but many because you knew you had a friend right there with you." Tom was blessed to have incredibly loyal friends who regularly visited him in the hospital throughout his ordeal.

Tommy's latest labor of love, a 1972 Oldsmobile 442, was completed late this summer, after four long years. Unbeknownst to anyone, Tommy called up his brother Stephen, who had been his bone marrow donor last year, and asked if he'd like to scope out another car with him. When they arrived, Tommy threw him the keys to the gleaming cherry red 442 convertible, saying, "It's yours." A meticulous planner, it's now apparent that Tommy, knowing the daunting challenges he faced with his third bout with cancer, wanted his brother to have a lasting memory of his labor of love.

Tommy never looked happier than in a memorable photograph of him driving his wife and daughters in the Osterville Historical Society Antique Car Parade. Tommy restored more than 20 442s, and was a member of the Oldsmobile Club of America.

Tom is the son of Dr. Thomas C. Cochran Jr. and the late Deborah R. Cochran, and stepson of Kathleen G. Cochran. He is survived by his wife, Scottie, and their two daughters, Page and Hilary; his brother Stephen and his wife, Katie; and his sisters Christine and husband Jim, and Diana and husband Todd.

Tom graduated from Dexter School, Tabor Academy, and Lake Forest College. He was a member of The Country Club, the Wianno Club, and The Beach Club.

Funeral services were held at St. Paul's Church in Dedham on Dec 12: burial was private

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom's memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in care of Leukemia Research.