Joel Curtis Cochran, 89 of Blacksburg, formerly of Hillsville, passed away on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center. Mr. Cochran was the youngest of ten children born to the late George Fulton & Beatrice Staples Cochran. He was a graduate of Hillsville High School where he was an active member of the F.F.A., the Glee Club, the Dramatic Club, played football, baseball and ran track. After graduating from high school, he worked as a barber and along with a group of friends, formed a western swing band called The Melody Rhythm Cowboys that played for audiences in southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army and served under General Pattons command in the 567th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion in the European Theatre. After World War II, he took a job at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant where he joined the security guard force and rose to the rank of Sergeant before retiring in 1983. He was a lifelong Democrat who kept up with politics at the local, state, national and international levels right up until his death. He was an outspoken critic of the current war who did not see the need for the tremendous sacrifice of American troops or the death of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. He was a member of the VFW, the First United Methodist Church of Hillsville, the Hillsville Masonic Lodge and the Kazim Temple. He was active in the Carroll Grayson Shrine Club Hillbilly Unit and rode in the jailhouse in dozens of parades before being paroled due to declining health. An avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals since the 1940s, he was overjoyed to see them win another World Series in 2006. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Edna Eileen Cochran in 1987. He is survived by his son & daughter-in-law Steven Curtis & Victoria Cochran of Blacksburg and numerous nieces, nephews as well as grand-nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Hillsville with Rev. Ronnie Collins officiating. Burial will follow in the Cochran Family Cemetery. Masonic Rites will be conducted by the Hillsville Masonic Lodge # 193 AF & AM. The body will lie in state at the church on Saturday morning one hour prior to the funeral service. The family will receive friends at Vaughan-Guynn-McGrady Chapel on Friday, October 26, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and following burial rites, friends and family may gather at the church for a meal to celebrate Mr. Cochrans life. Flowers are appreciated or memorial donations may be made to a charity of personal choice.