During David Cochran's first sailing race on Lake Minnetonka in the 1940s, his boat capsized three times, but he still managed to claim second place.

His final race took place last summer.

In between, he spent more than 60 summers racing E-boats and Ynglings across the big lake that he came to love and look out for, both as a sailing enthusiast and as mayor of Greenwood and chairman of the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District.

"He was active with anything to do with the lake and helping to save Lake Minnetonka," said his wife of 63 years, Nell, of Greenwood. "The milfoil made him sick."

Cochran died from a brain tumor Feb. 14 at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Wayzata. He was 91.

Sailing was Cochran's first love, his wife said, and he shared his passion with adults he gave lessons to through the Minnetonka Yacht Club Sailing School. He was presented with the club's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

He was extremely protective of the body of water he liked to play in and was involved in a number of projects "for the betterment of the lake," said longtime friend Tom Warner.

Cochran was appointed to the Minnehaha Watershed District in 1978. He was a board member of the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District from 1988 to 1993 and served as the agency's chairman from 1989 to 1993. With the discovery of milfoil in the late 1980s and increasing pollution concerns, he was a key player in devising a 1991 management plan for the lake, said Greg Nybeck, a spokesman for the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District.

In the 1960s, Cochran served as tax assessor for the city of Greenwood and later served as its upbeat mayor for eight years.

"He was always jolly, even when he was mayor," said Don Stolz, owner and resident director of the Old Log Theater. "If you can do that when you are mayor, you've got it made, and he was a good mayor."

Cochran was born in Minneapolis and graduated from Washburn High School. He earned a degree in business from the University of Minnesota.

In addition to his civic duties, he worked in a number of departments at 3M in Maplewood for 42 years, most recently in data processing.

Besides being an avid sailor, Cochran was a downhill ski instructor and a tennis player. He was a lifelong member of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis and a longtime member of the Excelsior Rotary Club. He enjoyed celebrating his July 4th birthday and tending to his beloved raspberry patch.

He was constantly on the go; friends once gave him a T-shirt that read "Everyday Energizer Bunny," said friend Marietta Jacobsen.

In addition to his wife, Cochran is survived by two sons, David Jr., of Vancouver, Wash., and Dan, of Lake Oswego, Ore.; a daughter, Kitty Cochran, of Greenwood; a brother, Harrison, of San Gabriel, Calif., and two grandchildren.

Services have been held.