Iva Cossou

Iva Lois "Skeet" McDaniel Cossou, 98, of Gordonville passed away Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at her home surrounded by family.

She was born Ivy Lois McDaniel, Oct. 24, 1923, at Tillman, Missouri, daughter of Curtis and Mattie Thompson McDaniel.

Upon attending Pleasant Hill Schoolhouse, her teacher mispronounced her name as "Iva." When questioned about her name change years later, Iva said, "I liked the name better than Ivy. The first thing I think about is poison ivy, and who wants to think of that?"

When she was little, Iva spent a lot of time with her Grandpa Thompson, helping him in the smokehouse make molasses. While he was stirring, Iva would fidget and buzz around the room, driving him crazy. He granted her the name "Skeet," short for mosquito, because like the bug, she could not sit still. Even into her late 80s, you could find her in the yard, always up to something.

She was a graduate of Bell City (Missouri) High School in 1941. She and Richard Clyde "R.C." Cossou were married Oct. 25, 1941, in Messler, Missouri, and then moved to Michigan. He preceded her in death Nov. 17, 2002. From this marriage, they had one daughter. In 1946, they moved to Bell City. She worked at the Inland Shoe Co. at Advance, Missouri, for 22 years, retiring in 1979, and then moved to Gordonville. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church.

Iva was soft spoken, but strong in her faith. Her favorite hobby was doing needlepoint and crocheting. Other activities she enjoyed included picking up pecans, baking her superior coconut and chocolate chip cookies, gardening and studying for the latest driver's license renewal at the age of 96.

Loving survivors include two grandchildren, K. Scott (Susan) McClanahan of Cape Girardeau and R. Collin (Lisa) McClanahan of Gordonville; four great-grandchildren, Ross (Anna) McClanahan of Columbia, Missouri, Lexie McClanahan of Denver and Troy-Lee and Lauren McClanahan of Gordonville; great-great-grandchild, Nolan McClanahan of Columbia; son-in-law, Jerry McClanahan of Cape Girardeau; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter, Barbara Ann McClanahan; three sisters, Helen Schlegel, Vivian Keesee and Faye Schott; and two brothers, Chester and Harold Lloyd McDaniel.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with the funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Rev. Jim Matthews officiating. Burial will be at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Advance.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests expressions of sympathy be made to Grace United Methodist Women, American Heart Association or Pleasant Hill Cemetery.