Darrell Wayne Cochran

Darrell W. Cochran, 79, of Ottawa, passed away on September 26, 2025.

Funeral services for Darrell will be private, and he will be interred at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

Darrell was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on April 14, 1946, the son of Albert Wayne and Eva (Ward) Cochran. After completing high school, Darrell proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1968 during which he served in Vietnam. Upon completion of his military service, Darrell was employed at Caterpillar where he worked for 30 years before his retirement. When he was not working, he enjoyed tinkering, building diecast cars, and fixing things. He liked going to car shows and was a fan of anything Chevy or John Deere. Darrell belonged to the Ottawa American Legion and VFW and attended his annual veteran's reunion in Cocomo, Indiana. More than anything, Darrell was a family man. He enjoyed his cousin's reunion in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and loved giving his grandchildren the tour of his estate on his tractor. He will be dearly missed.

Darrell is survived by children, Susan (Dave) Schmid, Matthew (Marcy) Cochran, and Ronnie (Blake) Spensberger; a sister, Jan (Everett) Norwick; grandchildren, Joel and Mason Schmid, Alyssa, Cristian, and Jayden Arocho, Bendy Lemmons, Audrey Gasser and Remi Spensberger; and great grandchild, Milani Webb. He was preceded in death by his parents.