Shirley Alice Darling Cochran

Shirley Alice (Darling) Cochran passed away on January 3, 2018.

A celebration of her life will be held January 12th at 2:30 pm at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church (9300 Nall Ave, Overland Park). Burial will take place before the service at 1:00 pm at Mount Moriah Cemetery South (10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri).

Shirley was born September 26, 1923 in Milo, Missouri to the late Glenn Arthur Darling and Sylvia Ellen (Creek) Darling. She graduated from Nevada, Missouri High School where she played saxophone in the school band. She attended William Jewell College for three years and married her love, the late Lieutenant Norman L. Cochran of Milo, Missouri on September 10, 1944.

Shirley was very active in her community. She and Norman were members of the Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, Kansas. Shirley was President of the Financial Executives Institute of Kansas City for a year and a Webelos den mother. While she and Norman lived in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, they were members of the Reading Presbyterian Church where she served as a deacon.

In 1979, Shirley and Norman moved to Maidenhead, England for Norman’s job as an executive with VF Corporation. During that time, they traveled extensively throughout the British Isles and Europe. Traveling was something both Shirley and Norm enjoyed together, as well as their time spent on the golf course. They returned to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania in 1981 and a few years after Norman’s retirement they returned to Leawood, Kansas.

Shirley and Norman have three sons, Stephen Glenn (Rose) of San Antonio, Texas, Philip Alan (Helen) of Leawood, Kansas and Kent James of San Antonio, Texas. Shirley loved spending time with family and her seven grandchildren, Kelli, Matthew, Carey, Alexandra, Kristi, Selena and Nicole, and three great grandchildren, Jack, Libby and Ellis. They will remember her wonderful spirit and the many hours she lovingly spent baking and cooking all of the family’s favorite dishes.

Shirley loved to stay active and was an avid tennis player and golfer (one of the rare few in the golf world who could say they made not just one hole-in-one, but two!). She also loved to play bridge with her many good friends. Shirley was a very caring and devoted wife, friend, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She cherished each one of her friends and family members, and most of all, her beloved Norm. She was always the picture of class and will be missed by all that knew and loved her.