Martha Allison Cochrane
Writer, poet, teacher and artist, Martha Allison Cochrane (84), died Monday, March 13, 2023, with her daughters by her side. Martha was born in Dearborn, Michigan, May 25, 1938, to Archibald and Rosamond Cochrane. In 1944, the Cochrane family moved to Billings, where Martha along with her sisters Rae, Ros, Kathleen, and Jean were raised in a home full of music, dance, laughter, and drama.
After graduating from Billings High School, Martha moved to California to pursue her love of acting. She earned a BA in Drama from Pomona College, where she met and married James Tugend. Before parting ways, the couple lived in Laurel Canyon and had two daughters, Julie and Katherine. In 1970, Martha, the girls and their two rambunctious beagles moved to Pacific Grove. Here Martha brought dance and theater to inmates at Soledad Prison, while working at a natural foods bakery to put food on the table. read more
