Yvonne, Lady Cochrane

Yvonne, Lady Cochrane (née Sursock; 18 May 1922 – 31 August 2020) was a philanthropist, prominent public figure, and advocate of the arts in Lebanon, and a member of the historic Sursock family.

She died on 31 August 2020, from injuries sustained in the Beirut explosion, on 4 August.

Family

She was born on 18 May 1922, the only daughter of Alfred Bey Sursock, a Lebanese aristocrat, and Donna Maria Theresa Serra di Cassano, the daughter of Francesco Serra, 7th Duke of Cassano. In 1946, she married Sir Desmond Cochrane, 3rd Baronet.

Philanthropy

She was president of the committee and general manager of the Sursock Museum in Beirut from 1960 until 1966. She founded the Association for the Protection of the Natural Sites and Ancient Buildings (French: Association pour la protection des sites et anciennes demeures; APSAD) in Lebanon and was its president from 1960 until 2002.

Her work focused on projects that seek to reduce Lebanese emigration and to support people in their villages of origin, by creating jobs for them in the fields of agriculture, textiles and handcrafts. She was also involved in the protection of the natural environment in Lebanon and in the preservation of the country's unique architectural and cultural heritage.

She was the owner of Sursock House, plus a broad swath of property along Rue Sursock, up to the trendy Rue Gouraud.