COCHRANE, Douglas Haig Cochrane

With family at his side, Doug passed away peacefully at Sunnybrook Veterans’ Residence in Toronto on October 16, 2025 at the age of 106.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 72 years, Margaret Grace (Weaver), two brothers, Ian and Mac , his mother Myra Blanche MacKinnon Cochrane and his father David Cochrane.
He is survived by his son, Wayne, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, daughter, Heather (Bruce) Sutton, of Toronto, grandson, David Cochrane of Halifax, granddaughters, Kaleigh Sutton (Bryan Cresswell) of Toronto, and Ashley (Ben) Elliot, great- grandson Cole Douglas Elliot of Aurora, Ontario, many much- loved nieces and nephews and close friends.
Blessed with a quick wit, phenomenal memory and love of people, he was always great company and will be sorely missed by his cherished family and friends. So many have said that they could listen to him tell stories for hours as he was always so interesting and entertaining.
Doug enjoyed a long and rewarding life. At the onset of World War II, while working in the banking industry, he was recruited by the Royal Canadian Air Force for an elite special investigative unit and was trained in a remote area of the Laurentians near le Domaine-de-l’Estérel. He served in Canada and overseas. It was in the RCAF that he met his beautiful wife, Margaret, who also served with the RCAF.
A month after they were married, Doug was posted to England for the duration of the war. His journey overseas on the Aquitania took ten and a half days as they zig-zagged across the Atlantic avoiding enemy submarines. His table-mate and main companion walking the decks on the voyage was Tommy Douglas, the politician who was to become the father of Canada’s beloved universal health care. Doug and Tommy kept in touch and in 2006, Doug was invited by Shirley Douglas to a Toronto street naming ceremony in honour of her father.
Following the war, he first worked in Chatham and then Peterborough, Ontario with the London Life Insurance Company. While in Peterborough, he followed his lifelong passion for hockey and as a sideline became the President of the Peterboro Petes. He and a very young Scotty Bowman as coach would spend many a long and enjoyable night strategizing on plays while Marg would keep the plates of sandwiches coming. They remained forever close friends, exchanging frequent emails and phone calls .
Also, in Peterborough, Doug acquired the nick name of ‘Clutch’. As a kid, Doug played goalie in rubber boots as it was the depression and skates were a luxury. As an adult, when he started playing friendly games of hockey with his friends in Peterborough, Doug couldn’t skate well so he had to ‘clutch’ onto someone to help him stop!
In 1960, he was transferred to Halifax. Doug was well liked in Peterborough and before he left, the city bestowed many honours on him including naming a street after him.
In Halifax, Doug re-joined the banking industry. He rose to Vice President of Central Trust and expanded the company to other provinces. Employees stated that he treated the company like family and that he was wonderful to work for. Many remained close friends throughout the rest of Doug’s life.
Doug also served as Chairman of the Board for the Halifax Waterfront Corporation and was instrumental in helping transform the waterfront area from a drab industrial area to the beautiful boardwalk, shops and restaurants we all enjoy today.
In retirement, Doug continued to be very busy serving as a director on many corporate boards, including Scotia Covenants, the Dartmouth Hospital Foundation, Pine Hill Divinity College, Halifax- Dartmouth Bridge Commission, Neptune Theatre Foundation and many others.
He also served as a Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and as a Member of the National Capital Commission, Ottawa.
Under his leadership, the Canadian Cancer Society Nova Scotia branch built ‘The Lodge that Gives” for a much needed home away from home for cancer patients and their families.
Doug and Marg moved to Toronto in 2004 to live near Heather and her family. In 2015, they moved to Sunnybrook Veterans’ Residence where they were lovingly cared for by the wonderful, compassionate and skilled staff of the Residence. Sadly, Marg passed in 2016 but Doug continued on in the residence.
Words cannot describe how grateful the family is for the exemplary and loving care both Marg and Doug received at Sunnybrook.
A Celebration of Life will take place at Sunnybrook Veterans’ Residence L wing 3rd floor Multipurpose Room on October 23 from 1:30 to 3:30 with an opportunity to speak at 2 pm.
Interment and family service will be with Marg and her family in Arnold’s Cemetery , Chatham, Ontario at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sunnybrook Veterans Program would be appreciated. Contact https://foundation.sunnybrook.ca/ and click on Veterans Program under Donations or give to a charity of your choice.