The National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) and greater bonsai community celebrates the life of 25-year NBF Board Member Chris Cochrane, who passed away at age 75 in Virginia at the end of December 2024.
Chris's interest in bonsai began early on when he majored in Eastern religions at the University of Virginia. He studied display aesthetics, tea ceremonies, and Japanese Garden Design in Japan, including a year at Kunio Kobayashi’s garden studio immersing himself in bonsai and suiseki.
In addition to his quarter-century tenure with NBF – including 12 years as NBF secretary – Chris served as secretary, treasurer, and president of the Richmond Bonsai Society. He was also a founding member and 18-year president for the Potomac Viewing Stone Group, and he co-designed their annual exhibitions at the U.S. National Arboretum.
Chris was also a catalyst in growing online bonsai communities, including the Internet Bonsai Club, the Viewing Stone Mail List, his Pinterest page, and NBF, where he helped set up the inaugural website in 2006.
He maintained personal collections of bonsai and viewing and garden stones, one of which was featured in the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum’s Chrysanthemum Moon Exhibit in 2007. Chris also contributed to Museum and NBF publication materials, including a profile on the La Bella Suiseki in one of NBF’s newsletters.
NBF Chair Emeritus and Former Museum Curator Jack Sustic has fond memories of collecting stones with Chris and the Potomac Viewing Stone Group.
“During my entire tenure as curator, Chris was a stalwart NBF board member,” Sustic said. “His commitment and generosity were testament to his love of the Museum. His friendship and level of passion and dedication will be sorely missed.”
Chuck Croft, a former NBF board member, worked with him for more than 30 years across numerous bonsai and suiseki organizations. Chuck said he was always the first to volunteer to help with shows.
“Chris invariably had a positive and kind approach to life and anything he encountered,” Croft said. “I could always count on him to light up the day.”
Felix Laughlin, NBF Chair Emeritus, remembers Chris whenever he walks through his garden, where he admires a suiseki they collected together.
“The NBF family has lost a beloved compatriot who has been pulling us and the Museum forward for most of the past half century,” Laughlin said. “A true leader of our viewing stone contingent, Chris made things happen with a positive attitude and a mission never defeated.”
Chris was happiest in a river searching for viewing stones with friends, hiking in the woods, doing research on Asian Aesthetics, and sharing what he had learned with others. Most of all, he loved his family and the people who share his passion.
Please feel free to add your memories in the comments below. You can also view Chris’s official obituary.