Resident Spotlight

From The Mountain

A Brief Life Sketch of Grover Cochran

By Elaine Murray Cochran

On the eve of World War II, Grover Cochran proposed to his sweetheart. Under a snowy Montana night sky, on Christmas Eve, he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him, but warned her they could not be married until he could find a new job. That night, having faith in her future husband, his sweetheart pulled an empty canning jar off her mother’s kitchen shelf and started saving pennies. On August 25, 1941, Grover’s acceptance letter arrived from the United States Border Patrol. He was thrilled. But his excitement quickly turned into panic when the first set of many orders fell out of the envelope: Grover was to report to his post on the Mexican boarder in just ten days.

Grover jumped into his blue 1939 Model A Roadster, drove to his sweetheart’s home, and showed her his orders. She laughed and ran to get their savings jar! Together, they drove to the courthouse in Missoula, Montana, poured the bottle’s contents out onto the counter, and to the clerk’s chagrin, bought their marriage license with two hundred pennies.

Within the next five days, Grover traded in his Roadster for a 1936 Ford Coupe, helped with all of their wedding plans including helping cook the refreshments for the reception, packed to move, helped finish the construction of his future in-law’s new ranch house where their marriage would be held, and helped clean up the construction mess just in time for the ceremony, while the mop stood dripping outside the kitchen’s back door.

After a one-night honeymoon in a Kalispell boarding house, they packed up their little car and set out on the road for their new life, and El Paso, Texas.

At the southern end of the long Missoula Valley, where the Bitterroot Mountains and Sapphire Range combine, they pulled off the road and stopped in the shade of a large pine tree. His sweetheart spread out a blanket and a picnic lunch including their savings jar, now full of cold spring water. After she said a blessing, they sat quietly eating, and gazing out over their distant valley home.

On their 50th Anniversary, his sweetheart recorded, “As we sat there, Grover became quite emotional. He suddenly realized that he would be the one person completely responsible for our welfare. He saw what a wonderful father he had, and doubted he could ever be a man as good as his dad. He wondered if he should be dragging us away from our beautiful valley, our friends and families, or out into the great unknown. But, we held each other, and swore we would never turn back! After fifty wonderful years, I have to say… Grover has not only followed in his father’s footsteps, but he has forged ahead with his own example of how a man should treat his wife and children. We are truly blessed to have him leading our way— all of us!”

In today’s world filled with uncertainty and danger, Grover’s selfless example of courage, honesty, integrity, compassion, forgiveness, and marital devotion stands as an ensign to our family, encouraging us on our way.