JANET COCHRAN

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Janet Cochran, beloved mother, wife and educator, died on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 7, 2023, at Friends Homes Guilford in Greensboro, where she lived since 2013 with her husband, Jim, who died in 2018.
She was born in Henderson, North Carolina, the only child of A. Harry Fyne and Janet Stewart Fyne, and grew up in Sumter. She was a proud alumnus of University of North Carolina Greensboro, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1953, a Master of Arts in 1966 and an Educationis Doctor in 1979.
Janet began her professional career in the early days of television at WBTW in Florence, where she met her future husband. They married in 1956, embarking on a journey of shared passions for jazz, tennis, travel, boating and the beach. She inevitably found purpose and meaning, using her formidable intellect, not to mention her dazzling wit and brilliant smile, teaching English Literature and Composition to students at several colleges and universities in North Carolina, eventually settling in at Guilford College. Not content with earning additional accolades as a published poet and short story writer, she became the director of the Carson Scholars (and later, the Native American Program), Guilford’s ambitious and successful programs to recruit and mentor Native American students. Her efforts were rewarded with numerous tribal honors, including the title "Prayer Warrior" from the Montana Crow Nation. She was also instrumental in the building of a library on the reservation and had the distinct privilege of being invited to a sacred peyote ceremony. Janet stated often that she was blessed to foster relationships with all types of people.
Janet was described as an elegant and stylish person and equally generous and caring. Her compassion was felt not only by the women and men she befriended, but also could be seen in her lifelong devotion to animal welfare. Her incredible curiosity fueled her exploration of much of the planet during her vigorous life.
She also found time to raise two talented and successful artists: her daughter, Shannon, an actress living in Los Angeles with her husband of 20 years; and her son, Stewart, a musician who lives in Austin with his partner, Leigh, and Janet’s sole grandchild, Tyler.
A celebration of her life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, at New Garden Friends Meeting, 801 New Garden Road, Greensboro, NC 27410.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to World Wildlife Fund or Doctors Without Borders.
Forbis and Dick Guilford Chapel is serving the family and online condolences may be offered at www.forbisanddick.com.