Christine Anne Cochran

Christine Anne Cochran—known to the hospitality world simply as "CC"—was a woman who didn't just inhabit spaces; she re-engineered them. As a self-made hotelier and a leader in the tourism industry, she was a "spiritual mechanic" who specialized in the alchemy of transformation. She had a preternatural ability to transform a troubled hotel property into a sanctuary that felt like home to every traveling family and businessperson who crossed its threshold. Whether she was fixing a business or acting as an unofficial foster mother to someone who had lost their way, Christine believed that everything and everyone deserved a chance to be restored.

To know Christine, however, was to know a woman of formidable edges. She had a challenging upbringing, and though she carried those demons throughout her life, she was resolutely committed to not letting them define her. She was fiercely independent, incredibly opinionated, and, by her own account, a "royal pain in the ass." She was bossy because she was certain; she was stubborn because she was self-made. This same intensity that allowed her to be a spiritual mechanic meant she sometimes focused her light outward, occasionally overlooking her own kin in her pursuit of mending the world at large. Yet, she was deeply self-aware of these flaws. Beneath the "her way or the highway" attitude was a heart that loved her family with a protective ferocity.

Away from the corner office, Christine found peace in the soil, her kitchen, and the company of her "furry children." She was absolutely nuts about her dogs, treating her puppies with the same devotion she gave her family. A trademark of every home she ever occupied was the transformation of the landscape; she loved getting her hands in the dirt, turning plain yards into a plethora of life. Everywhere she stayed, she left a legacy of flower beds, gardens, and green grass. This love for creation was rooted in her deep faith: a woman who loved the Lord, she read her Bible almost every day, finding the quiet strength to be the anchor for so many others.

Christine, though highly opinionated, rarely had a harsh word for those with whom she conflicted. In challenging relationships, she was fond of saying, "Well, that’s for them to figure out with Jesus." As she passed, Christine’s final words were, "I had a wonderful life." Despite a lifetime of adversity and challenges, she chose to focus on the good things and the bounty that the Lord provided. It was her hope that every life she touched would do the same in their own.

Christine is survived by her two sons, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, as well as her four sisters. Her legacy also lives on through the hundreds of hospitality professionals who learned their tradecraft under her exacting eye. She taught us that you don't have to be perfect to be a hero, and that with enough hard work and a relentless heart, anything can be turned around. She has finally traded her gardening gloves to be with God, leaving us with the flowers she planted in our hearts and the many lives she mended.

Arrangements entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA.