Alice Cochran, 58, trade council administrator

“Go ask Alice” was a common refrain when Alice Cochran was a secretary/bookkeeper/administrator for the Atlanta-North Georgia Building Trades Council, an umbrella group for the construction industry.

She held the job 18 years before her health forced her to retire. She also had done a stint with the Painters District Council No. 38 before it dissolved in the mid-1980s.

So when it came to labor organizations and the construction industry, Mrs. Cochran knew her stuff, said Charlene Rutherford of McDonough, a 30-year friend.

“She knew what union did what specific work,” Mrs. Rutherford said, “and if she didn’t know the answer, she knew where to point you. When it came to bookkeeping and software, the answer was ‘Go ask Alice.’ She knew everything.”

Alice McFarland Cochran, 58, of Stockbridge died Saturday of a staph infection at Piedmont Hospital. The funeral will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at Horis A. Ward Parkway Chapel, which is handling arrangements.

Mrs. Cochran retired in April 2003 in poor health. Her heart required two valves and she lost both legs to diabetes, but she kept her zest for life.

“She studied and worked hard to become certified to drive a van with hand controls,” Mrs. Rutherford said. “We called her ‘Amazing Alice.’ “

Survivors include a daughter, Angela Johnson of Stockbridge; a brother, Kenneth McFarland of Stockbridge; and four grandchildren.