Bob Cochrane, 82

Bob Cochrane, a lifelong resident of the Cataldo area, passed away on Friday, June 20, 2025, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was 82. A Celebration of Life gathering will be held Friday, June 27th, at 3:00 PM at The Timbers Roadhouse in Cataldo.

Robert Stanley Cochrane was born August 19, 1942, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He was the youngest of five children born to Stanley and Mary Cochrane and began his young life at their Rose Lake home, where he grew up with a brother and three sisters. When he was five years old, the family moved up Latour Creek at Cataldo, and Bob grew up on the small cattle and hay ranch where his love for the outdoors and nature truly began. He learned to hunt at an early age, picked rocks in their hay field with the rest of his family, and helped with the chores of raising cattle and pigs. Bob’s least favorite time was haying time, but his older brother Carl always managed to track him down and get him out in the field.

Bob attended elementary school at Cataldo and, after the 8th grade, went to Pinehurst School before graduating from Kellogg High School in 1961. He worked in the woods almost from the time he could walk. Immediately after graduating, Bob found work as a logger and over the years, he drove truck, was a sawyer, and every other job a logger could have. He worked with his dad in the beginning and over the years for several other area loggers. Bob was a hard worker and was well-known and well-liked in the industry.

He met a girl from Coeur d’Alene, and after some convincing and a little bit of charm, Bob was able to convince his “city girl” to go on a date. Bob married Pamela Putnam on July 13, 1963, and after a couple of months in the city, they moved to the mountains around Cataldo and never looked back. Pam learned to love her new country lifestyle, and the couple became inseparable for the next 62 years. They began their family fairly quickly with the arrival of their son, Dwayne, and a few years later with the arrival of their son, Ronald. Bob taught his boys everything he could about enjoying life outdoors. They took family drives through the mountains, gathered firewood, liked to go snowmobiling, occasionally collected rocks for Pam’s gardens, and gathered more firewood. Bob taught his boys an honest work ethic and how to be well-rounded members of society. He liked to laugh and held many friendships close. Bob was a jokester and liked to tell stories and jokes everywhere he went.

In 1984, Bob went to work for the Louisiana Pacific sawmill along the Spokane River near Post Falls. He was a master and a jack of all trades in the log yard, including operating the crane and driving the tugboat. After 12 years at LP, the mill closed. Bob was semi-retired but only briefly when a flood in 1996 around Cataldo sent him to the East Side Highway District to inquire if he could help. He worked for the highway district, driving a truck, operating equipment, and occasionally running a shovel. He retired from that job in 2009 but continued to work for his son, Ron, at Cochrane Excavation. Bob loved to haul rock or gravel to customers who lovingly referred to him as “Pops,” and he rarely turned down the opportunity to “shoot the breeze” with their customers and friends. His last years have been spent thoroughly enjoying time with his grandchildren and, more recently, the great-grands. He was always tinkering in his shop, working on his vehicles, keeping them meticulously spotless and clean, and yes, gathering more firewood. He loved to gather, cut, chop, stack and do anything with firewood. It even became a game with his boys to spot the buckskin tamarack from the roadsides. Don’t allow yourself to be fooled; somewhat gruff on the outside, Bob Cochrane had a heart of gold on the inside. He loved his dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes; he loved his wife and his family faithfully and strongly. He and Pam would even share a dance on the floor of the shop when the right song came on the radio. Bob was a fighter and never one to give up. When the doctors had done all they could and no more was left to do, he met his future head-on and continued to show his strength and love for his family right until the end.

Bob will be missed by many in the valley he called home for 82 years, but most especially by his family. He leaves behind his wife Pam at their home in Cataldo; son Ronald (Samantha) Cochrane of Kingston; daughter-in-law Nikki (Rob) Ross of Kellogg; 4 grandchildren of whom he was so proud; Jessica (Dylon) Beckendahl, Cataldo, Taryn (Sam) Redmond of Livingston, Montana, Kori Siddoway of Boise, Idaho and Tate (Kodi) Cochrane, Enaville; by seven precious great-grandchildren; Lilly, Wylee, Bella, Kymber, Colton, Vivian, and Margot and another one on the way; and by his brother Carl (Donna) Cochrane of Rose Lake and two sisters; Betty Jean Higbee and Pat Thompson both of Pinehurst. Bob was preceded in death by his son Dwayne in 1993, his sister Toby Rash, and his parents. The family suggests memorial gifts be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital or a charity of your choice. The online guest book is at www.corbeillfuneralhomes.com.

Corbeill Funeral Home in Colfax is caring for the family.