Edwina Elizabeth Cool

Edwina Elizabeth Sheppard Cool died peacefully at a nursing home near Iowa City, Iowa after a long illness. You all knew her as Lady Cool, a name given her by her southern family. Lady was born January 23, 1933, in Americus, Georgia, to John Edgar Sheppard and Ester Elizabeth Giles Sheppard (also called Lady). She had one younger brother, Ken Sheppard of South Africa.
After attending a private boarding school in Tampa, Lady trained as an X-Ray technician eventually becoming head of the X-Ray department at Denison's Crawford County Memorial Hospital. She worked there for over 30 years and was so highly regarded that folks treated her as if she was a physician, often calling her at home with medical questions.
Lady married a handsome young army man, Valentine Cool, in Ft. Benning Georgia where their first son John was born in 1953. They then lived on many army bases in Germany where Valerie was born in 1955. After they were transferred to Sioux City, Iowa, son Marc was born there in 1960. The family moved to Denison in 1963 when Val retired from the military.
Lady was a voracious reader, enjoying both fiction and nonfiction, especially science fiction; her vocabulary continued to amaze us right up to the end. She loved playing bridge and from all reports, many were impressed with her prowess. Bowling was also an interest and she had trophies to prove it! Lady was a hearty woman with an easy, all-encompassing laugh and a generous nature.
As her husband aged and her children moved away, Lady and Val were adopted by the sweet, kind Watkins family: Annette, Ray, Dean, Martha and Harlie. They brought her joy and bombarded her with love, watching over her after Val died in Denison in January, 2006.
She was able to visit with her kids and grandkids before dying on January 5, 2015, just shy of her 82nd birthday. The next generations include John and Renee Cool of Parkville, Mo., Valerie Cool, Mark Muller, and Harmony Hauser of the Iowa City area, Rhonda Cool of Kansas City, Marc Cool of Des Moines, Kelsey and Jamie Flanery of Plattsburg, Mo., Abby and Kevin Schultz of Kansas City, Colin Cool of Omaha, along with grandkids, Tayler and Meyer Parsons and great grandkids Breckin and Landin Katzer and Jaydin and Talin Flanery.
A celebration of life will take place at the Huebner Funeral Home in Denison on January 31, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch at Cronk's Cafe. The family asks for memorials to be given to the Norelius Community Library and the Lady Cool Memorial Garden.