Earl Wayne Cochenour, 88, of Luray, Missouri, passed away peacefully after a long illness at the Keosauqua Health Care Center in Keosauqua, Iowa, on December 9, 2021.
Earl was born in Luray, MO, July 23, 1933, to Earl and Flora Cochenour. Earl grew up on the farm with his parents and six siblings in Luray and later moved to Scotland County to attend high school. Earl attended Hogan School and graduated from Scotland County High School in 1951. After high school, Earl joined the US Army and served as an infantry soldier during the Korean War. On October 14, 1956, Earl married Betty Lucille Fitzgerald and they began their married life together on Earl’s family’s farm north of Luray, MO. Together, Earl and Betty raised their four children there. Earl and Betty recently celebrated 65 years of marriage and Earl was devastated by Betty’s death on November 9, 2021.
Except for a period of time when he worked at Sheller Globe in Keokuk, IA, Earl was a full-time farmer. He also was a Vermeer dealer and sold and serviced Vermeer balers, as well as baled hay for other farmers. He really enjoyed his work with Vermeer and particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to work with farmers from around the area. When his wife Betty became a rural mail carrier, Earl spent much of his time making sure Betty’s car was ready for the road and being on call to provide road service as needed. He became an expert at installing new brakes and tires. Earl also enjoyed attending Rural Letter Carrier State and National Conventions with Betty where he made many friends as a member of the auxiliary group.
He was very artistic and built an extensive woodshop where he spent hours building clocks, toys, furniture, and banks made from old postal box doors. He enjoyed finding and buying tools and materials to expand his woodshop and to create more beautiful items that he loved to share. When Betty decided to become a weaver but didn’t love cutting the rag strips or warping the frame, Earl converted a manual rag cutter to an electric rag cutter and created a user-friendly warp system to make her hobby easily accessible to her. Earl could fix anything, and Betty kept him busy with all of her projects. If Betty had a hobby, Earl was inevitably the support crew.
Earl was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; his parents, Earl and Flora; and his six siblings: Gary Cochenour, Sherman Robert Cochenour, Barbra Clowser, Mary Evelina Shaffer, Doris Hines, and Bertha McBride. Earl is survived by his son, Gerald Cochenour (Amber) of Revere, MO; son, Kerry Cochenour of Milan, MO; daughter, Sheila (Jim) Smith of Vacaville, CA; son, Andrew (Karrie) Cochenour of Milton, IA; nine grandchildren, Bradley (Jeannie) Cochenour of Keosauqua, IA; Brandon (Ashley) Cochenour of Farmington, IA; Travis (Jackie) Cochenour of Maryville, MO; Kelsey Cochenour of Kahoka, MO; Nick Cochenour of Luray, MO; Ty Smith of Katy, TX; Aly Smith of Vacaville, CA; Lauren Cochenour of Milton, IA; Emma Cochenour of Milton, IA; and seven great-grandchildren: Tiffany, Jackie, Maci, Evelyn, Ethan, Ella, and Penny. Earl also is survived by his sister-in-law, Janice Cochenour of Arbela, MO.
Memorial services honoring Earl’s life will be conducted at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 17, 2021 at the Wilson & Triplett Funeral Home in Kahoka. Pastor Mike Shea will officiate. Military rites will be accorded by the American Legion, Herman Blum Post # 192, VFW Post #4342 and by the United States Army. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until the time of services at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in memory of Earl are suggested to the Keosauqua Health Care Center or to the charity of the donor’s choice. You are invited to share your memories of Earl and leave a condolence at www.wilsontriplett.com