Mark Jefferson Cochran, 57, of Longwood, Florida passed away peacefully on November 22, 2022 with his loving wife of 25 years by his side.
Mark was born a fraternal twin in Atlanta, GA on August 6, 1965 to Ralph and Lynn Cochran. His family settled in Florida in the early 1970’s, where Mark would establish deep bonds of friendships that lasted the rest of his life. Happy childhood memories of little league games, his beloved Sheltie “Snoopy,” Thanksgiving meals cooked by his mom and his dad’s Johnny Mathis Christmas album playing throughout the home, helped instill in him a very deep love of family, animals and sports.
A phenomenal athlete and devout Dallas Cowboys fan, Mark excelled in nearly all sports thanks to his father who recognized and developed his talent at a young age by coaching him in a variety of athletics. His incredible hand-eye coordination led to him pitching a perfect game for Lake Brantley High against Lake Howell in his senior year of high school, and resulted in him being scouted and drafted for Minor League Baseball. But Mark also loved learning and was highly gifted in mathematics, so decided to attend UCF on a baseball scholarship instead, where he obtained a degree in Finance, and later, would go back to obtain a second degree in Accounting. He was also a much loved brother in the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Upon graduating UCF, Mark met and married the love of his life, Kathy, and built his home in Longwood. He then went on to become a licensed PGA Golf Pro, and enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the golf industry before retiring. He was actively enjoying his second career of over 15 years in the finance industry with Sentry Management when God called him home.
In addition to being talented, Mark was a genuinely kind person who loved animals and had a particular fondness of Shetland Sheepdogs. His most notable was “Q-Boy, the famous painting Sheltie,” who achieved world-wide fame and served as his inspiration to become a breed Rescuer endorsed by the American Shetland Sheepdog Association, and eventually, a hospice for elderly and dying Shelties in need. But there were many other animals he rescued along the way too. In fact, he considered no creature too small or insignificant to be worthy of his assistance. Mark truly lived the values held dear in his heart, and which were inspired by his two favorite books, Kinship With All Life by J. Allen Boone and All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. He could faithfully be heard recommending these books to anyone he met who expressed a love for animals.
Those who knew Mark will remember him as a kind and compassionate person with a quick wit and a heart of gold. To say he will be missed is an understatement. A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date, but those grieving his loss can take solace in the knowledge that his final days were filled with happiness, being surrounded by his closest family and friends who kept a near round-the-clock bedside vigil, celebrating and appreciating him with stories, laughter and love.
Mark is preceded in death by his fraternal twin brother Craig, parents Ralph and Lynn, and father-in-law Ltc. Michael E. Wikan. He is survived by his wife Katherine, brother Chad (Christine), uncle Bill (Melanie) Pogue, mother-in-law Sandra and brothers-in-law Michael (Samantha) and Gregory (Rachel) Wikan, multiple nieces, nephews and cousins, his best friends since youth, Brian Berube, Rick Zullo, Jamie Martin and Chuck and Laura Welkner, and of course his beloved fur-kids who adored him, Shelties Trubble and Katie and a silly squirrel dubbed Princess Willamina.