Kathleen V. Cotsmire

Kathleen Valerie Cotsmire, 79, of Bucyrus, died Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Altercare of Bucyrus.

She was born on February 14, 1947 in Spokane, Washington to the late Kenneth L. and Zelma E. (Widman) McDaniel. Following her dad’s time in the Army, they moved to Little York, Ohio to be closer with family. Kathleen graduated from Upper Sandusky High School and on October 24, 1970, married Roger Lee Cotsmire and he recently passed on December 7, 2025.

Kathleen loved taking care of others and because of this passion, she proudly provided the best care possible for her husband and family. As her children grew older, she continued caring for them and also cared for some area seniors as an in-home aide. In more recent years, she adored taking care of her great granddaughter, Zelma who was the light of her life and became her little shadow as Kathleen tended to her daily tasks.

Kathleen cherished time spent with family, especially her grandchildren. She was into anything that interested them and the more time together, the better. She loved reading to them, especially at bedtime and they watched movies, although she rarely made it too far into the movie before nodding off. But of all that they did together, she was happiest when they gathered at her home on Sunday afternoons for food and fellowship. A tradition that lasted many years and brought much laughter.

Kathleen and Roger share 55 years of marriage and packed those years full of good times. They enjoyed travels of all sorts and to many areas. Many of these trips included traveling in their pop-up camper and Kathleen’s motto was that it’s better to be prepared and not need it, so of course, she often overpacked. She and Roger also enjoyed shopping together and liked dining out. A few of their favorite restaurants were Lulu’s, Granny’s, Bob Evans and Texas Roadhouse. She enjoyed tending to her hanging baskets and liked flowers in general and when she did find time to sit still, it was to take in a Hallmark movie.

Kathleen’s faith in the Lord was always strong, and she always brightened up, when hearing of family involvement in church. She formerly attended Wayside, where she assisted with Bible School and in more recent years, attended Lifeway Christian Fellowship where she taught Sunday School. She didn’t hold many memberships, but she was formerly active in The Twin’s Club and was named Mother of the Year.

She will be deeply missed by sons, Douglas Cotsmire, Daniel (Tracy) Cotsmire and Timothy (Jody) Cotsmire; grandchildren, Jesse Cotsmire, Rebecka Clinard (Josh Laferty), Misty Clinard (Robert Miller), Katelyn Cotsmire (Matt Barr) and Jeremy Cotsmire; great granddaughter, Zelma; sisters, Marsha (Ron) Heckathorn and Norma (John) Spiegel; brothers, Dennis McDaniel, Marvin (Deanna) McDaniel and Jeff (Gale) McDaniel and her sister-in-law, Sandy (Ed) Wertz.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Zelma; husband, Roger; daughter, Valerie Clinard and a brother, Andrew McDaniel who died in infancy.

Services will be held on Wednesday, March 25 at Wise Funeral Service in Bucyrus. Family will receive friends from 11:00 am – 12:25 pm. The funeral will begin at 12:30 pm with Certified Celebrant, Lisa Snyder officiating and burial will follow in Crawford County Memory Gardens.

Memorial contributions can be made payable to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and given at the funeral home. Memories and photos can be shared on the guestbook of Roger’s tribute page at www.wisefuneral.com.