Funeral services were held Saturday for Hayward Cochran, Jr. The 65-year-old Toccoa businessman was killed in a wreck Feb. 24 on Talmadge Drive in Habersham County.
The funeral was held at the Crossroads Baptist Church in Toccoa where Cochran served as a deacon.
A lifelong resident of Toccoa, Cochran was an alumnus of Toccoa Falls Academy. He owned Cochran’s Cleaning Service and worked with clients throughout Northeast Georgia.
Remembered as a Godly man who was a devoted husband and father, Cochran was a beloved member of his community. News of his death was met with an outpouring of grief and support from those who knew him and from strangers who were struck by the tragedy.
“Hayward Cochran was one of the nicest people you could ever meet,” wrote Derek Goodwin on social media. Susan Wade echoed that, commenting that Mr. Cochran “was a wonderful man.”
During a prayer vigil the night after the wreck, about 100 well-wishers gathered in Habersham County to pray for the Cochran family and the Habersham Central High School junior who was injured in the wreck.
17-year-old Hadden Carswell was driving the Jeep Wrangler that ran into Cochran’s van. He was critically injured and remains hospitalized in Gainesville.
Hayward Cochran leaves behind his wife Diane, daughter Angelica Cochran Bolton and son-in-law Leon and two grandchildren. He is also survived by three brothers – Murray, Fred, and Leroy – and his twin sister Hazel Cochran Rousey.
The Habersham County Little League for which Carswell once played set up Go Fund Me Accounts for the Cochran and Carswell families. To contribute, visit the links below:
