Ms. Edna Cosby

Ms. Edna Cosby, age 69, transitioned on March 18, 2026. Edna Jeanne Cosby was born on March 19, 1956 in Gainesville, Florida. She is the daughter of Dr. E. A. Cosby and J. Leslie (Parker) Cosby. She is the youngest of her siblings, Dr. Carolyn (Cosby) Edwards and Joyce Y. Cosby. She grew up in Gainesville and graduated with Honors from P.K. Yonge High School in 1973, where she played the flute in the Marching Band and was a member of the Key Club and French Club. She remained in close touch with P.K. Yonge classmates, both digitally and in person throughout the years. She was among one of the early classes to admit women to Harvard University and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Biology in 1977. At Harvard, she was a member of the Gospel Choir. She continued her education with Baccalaureate Studies in Architecture at the University of Florida. After college, she worked for Neighborhood Housing and in the financial industry before settling in a State Farm Insurance Company as a Catastrophe Claims Adjuster and then trainer until her early retirement in 2023. She spent her retirement traveling and dividing her residence between Kansas City, Missouri, Atlanta, Georgia, and her ancestral home in Gainesville, Florida. Jeanne was initiated into the Mu Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 1984. She served faithfully in a variety of positions, including President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary. During her forty-two years of membership, she became a Silver Star, representing twenty-five years of service and a Life Member. She joined her sister, Joyce, as a legacy member, following the trail set by her mother. Jeanne was an avid reader, an expert in classic movies and television programming , and enjoyed playing the piano for many years. She loved to travel, and through work and family travel, she visited forty-five to fifty states and planned to travel to the last five. She also cruised the Caribbean Islands and Alaska and traveled to Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. Family was always at the forefront with Jeanne. She was the only member of the Whitaker extended family who attended and documented all of her family's reunions since they began in 1986. She sang in the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA. She grew up as a member of Greater Bethel AME Church, the church of her father, and Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, her mother's church, which she continued to attend in adulthood and whenever she came home to Gainesville after college and entering the work world in a variety of cities. She leaves precious memories that will live on in the hearts of her two sisters; Leslie Carolyn Cosby Edwards and Joyce Y, Cosby; niece, Nia Dalley (David); nephews, Kwesi Edwards (Yvette), George Harris, William Harris; uncle, Walter Crosby; beloved cousins and extended family members around the country; her dear friend and sorority sister, Linda Saulet; and a host of cherished friends in Kansas City, Atlangta, and Gainesville., She was pre-deceased by her mother and father; along with several aunts and uncles, and brother-in-law, Clarence Harris and Glenn Edwards. Public Visitation for Ms. Cosby will Friday, April 24, 2026 from 2:00 to 6:00 PM in Chestnut Memorial Gold Chapel, 18 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. Funeral Services for Ms. Cosby will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, 630 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601. Interment will follow immediately in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. A Repast will also follow at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church after the internment. Resolutions may be emailed to wecare@chestnutfh.com before 5:00 PM on Friday, April 24, 2026. Floral Arrangements may be ordered on this website or delivered to Chestnut Memorial Chapel, 18 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. "A CHESTNUT SERVICE"

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Ms. Edna Cosby

March 19, 1956 - March 17, 2026