Nancie Verna Cochensparger

Nancie Verna (Leffler) Cochensparger, 75, celebrated her 44th anniversary with her husband William T. “Bill” Cochensparger at 6:30 pm on Friday, March 25, 2022, in her childhood home in Shawnee, and then joined Jesus in heaven after a month-long illness.

Nancie was born on October 19, 1946, in Lima, Ohio, to Billy T. and Terri (Crider) Leffler and graduated from Shawnee schools in 1964.

After retiring from her work in Lima as a legal secretary for over twenty years, she delved into numerous hobbies and passions including working on a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History; earning her Master Gardeners degree; teaching Sunday school, yoga, Little Sprouts, and women’s Bible studies; working at a local garden center; writing a garden column in the Lima News; collecting taxes for the State of Ohio; and devoting time to her grandchildren.

She was a skilled but private pianist, writer, and artist; a flower and herb gardener; and lover of her many cats and dogs over the years. A bold lover of nature, she once climbed onto a cherry picker and stopped a city worker from taking down a perfectly good hickory tree, later cleverly penning,
“When I die,
let there be
this epitaph:
‘She saved a tree.’”

Though stubborn at times, she was a gentle, selfless, and patient mother, wife, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend with a surprisingly wry and witty sense of humor that brought us all joy.

She is survived by her husband Bill; daughter Dove (Jack) Arnett of Florida; sister Marta K. Leffler; stepchildren Jeremy (Katherine) Cochensparger and Angela Cochensparger (Darren Brogan); seven grandchildren: Arianna, Samuel, and Lily Arnett; Mariah and Amber Hallard; Hayden, Scarlet, and Sully Cochensparger; two great grandchildren: Jack and Aspen; her beloved nieces and nephew: July Tomasi, Misty Wieging, and Quentin Derryberry III; and her great nephews and niece: Landon, Madeline, and Seth. “Sassy” loved them all and knew how to show it.

She was preceded in death by her infant son Aram L. Brown, her mother Terri Crider Leffler, and her father Billy Thomas Leffler.

There will be no visitation. A private graveside memorial will be held by the family at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made “In Remembrance of Nancie Cochensparger” to Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail (FOMNTT.com) where Bill continues to help reach fishermen with the message of Jesus. FOMNTT, PO Box 957, Chapin SC 29036.

Much gratitude is given to her church family at Harvest Baptist Church of Wapak and the staff of St Rita’s Home Health Hospice for their care in her last week. Special blessings are given to her devoted angel RN who cared for her tenderly every morning in her final week of life, Sandy Lee Faler.

To plant a tree in memory of Nancie Verna Cochensparger, please visit our Tribute Store.