Obituary of Florence Florene Hays

Florence Florene Hays, 80, passed away on Friday, October 21, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Florence was born in Camdenton, Missouri to Harry Cooper and Nettie Cooper Weithop.  She graduated from Camdenton High School and followed her dream of being a model.  She concluded her career working in accounting.

Florence was an excellent cook and loved nothing more than feeding her friends and family. She loved to entertain, had a heart of gold and loved unconditionally. “Aunt Granny” will always be remembered for her generosity, her laugh and her kind spirit.

In her spare time, Florence loved to garden and spend time in her backyard oasis.  Filled with flowers and her much-loved pool, she was excited each year to host parties, cook a feast and drink wine with anyone that would come by.  

Her favorite activity each year by far was her annual shopping trip with her sisters and sister-friends.  Each summer for 25 years, Florence would coordinate a days long trip to various cities where the ladies boosted the local economy, drank a lot, had a daily fashion show with their purchases and told many, many stories.

Florence was preceded in death by her parents, son Christopher Santini, sister Patricia Pletcher, brothers Linden (Sonny) Cooper and Darrell Cooper.

Florence is survived by and will be missed by her son Jon; daughters Lisa and Wendy; grandchildren Suzanne, Johnnie, Thomas, Eddie, Adrian, Molly, and Caitlin; siblings Bobby Cooper (Cathy), Annie Willcut, Earlene Blair (Tronnie), Jerry Wiethop (Denise), Pam Capps (Kenny), and Michele McDonald (Tony); and a host of nieces and nephews that she loved very much. Beth Bentley and Peggy Garrett were sisters from another mister. She is also survived by her long-time companion Bill Goss.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:30 pm at Leppert Funeral Home - Nora with visitation from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Visitation will be held in Camdenton, Missouri on Sunday, October 30, 2022 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm at Hedges-Scott Funeral Home with a graveside service following at Roach Cemetery.

Her grandson Thomas asked to share these words:

Unconditional love, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of my grandma (my neenee).  It’s the kind of love that comes very few times in a lifetime, if at all.  She was always my bright light (as well as others).  No matter what I was going through she was there for me.  Not only as my neenee but also my best friend. From dinner dates to sitting at the table helping me with math problems.  She was always there.  There were times in high school where friends would ask me to hang out and I’d tell them I can’t, that I had a date with my grandma.  They never made fun of me for it because they knew how close she was to me and in reality, she was a bit of their grandma too.  She was hands down the most hospitable person I’ve ever met.  She welcomed all with open arms and everyone always had a spot at her table.  There was never a stranger at her house. She just wanted everyone to feel like they belonged.  She was beautiful inside and out.  If we all could be 10% of what she was this world would be a much better place.