JoAnn DeLaney McCosh

JoAnn DeLaney McCosh passed away on Aug. 8, 2026, leaving a legacy of deep love, devotion, and a positive spirit that touched everyone who knew her.

JoAnn was born on March 14, 1934, the youngest of four children to Lila Rogers and Andy DeLaney. Her early life was marked by tragedy when her father, a hard-working cowboy, disappeared and was presumed drowned in the Colorado River in the rough country of southeastern Utah when JoAnn was just 18 months old.

To keep the young family close to the influence of the church, her grandparents, David and Elizabeth Rogers, selflessly took in all four children to raise in their late 60s and early 70s. The siblings were later divided among extended family, and JoAnn was lovingly raised by her uncle and aunt, John and Luella Rogers, in Blanding, Utah, where she attended school through her eleventh year.

After her first marriage ended in divorce in Spokane, Washington, JoAnn met the love of her life, Leonard McCosh, at church. They were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on June 4, 1957, following Leonard’s fourth year of engineering school at Brigham Young University.

Leonard adopted her two eldest children, and together they went on to have five more children, building a bustling household of three girls and four boys. JoAnn and Leonard counted 70 years of marriage at the time of her passing that was defined by an unwavering devotion and deep love for one another.

JoAnn was a devoted wife and mother who carried a lifelong passion for the cowboy lifestyle and her heritage. She spent much of her time in Ephraim and its surrounding environs capturing the essence of the Old West through her photography, a talent that earned her numerous awards at the local fair.

She once beautifully wrote that she thought God must have been a cowboy, because it was easy to see that He loved horses and cows, nature, and cooking over an open fire in a Dutch oven. She was known for constantly projecting this positive spirit and sharing affirming, uplifting sayings with her family and community throughout her life.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Leonard McCosh; her sons, Steven, Leonard Jr., Sterling David, and Scott Shawn; and her daughter, Andrea. Her beautiful legacy also lives on through 24 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughters, Margie and JoLynn.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at noon in the Ephraim Stake Center, 400 E. Center Street. A viewing will take place prior to the services from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti, along with Bishop Chase of the Ephraim 3rd Ward.

Interment will follow directly after the funeral service at the Ephraim Park Cemetery. Following the interment, a luncheon for family and friends will be provided by the 3rd Ward Relief Society.