1938
Anita
2024
Anita Lucille Cosby Thompson
October 3, 1938 — May 7, 2024
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, our dear wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother, Anita Lucille Cosby Thompson, returned to her heavenly home, reunited with her daughter, April, and other loved ones who preceded her in death.
Anita's life was marked by faith in God, devotion to family, and a pursuit of "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." She was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through the good and bad, and even heartbreaking trials of her life, she remained faithful to the end.
Anita was born on October 3, 1938, to Joseph Ashton Cosby and Laura Marie Duffin, the first of four children. She lived in Inglewood, California for the first few years of her life. Even at a young age, she remembered the blackouts and curfews of World War II. At the age of four, Anita moved with her family to St. George, Utah, just down the street from the St. George Temple where she was baptized at the age of 8. The St. George Temple always held a special place in her heart.
At the age of 12, Anita moved with her family to Bountiful, Utah where she attended junior high and high school, and graduated from Davis High School in 1956. In junior high, she discovered a love of learning and writing. A teacher returned one of her papers with the note, "You should be a writer when you grow up." In the fall of 1956, Anita enrolled in classes at the University of Utah, where she continued to develop her writing abilities. She also discovered a love of music and joined the university choir.
In the summer of 1958, Anita traveled to upstate New York to participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. While there, she met her future husband, Darrel Thompson, who was one of the missionaries helping with the pageant. She also met the president of the Eastern States Mission, Gerald Smith, who asked her if she would be willing to stay and serve as a missionary. With permission from her parents, she agreed and completed a full-time mission.
Anita's acquaintance with Darrel continued after their missions when the two met again and began dating. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 8, 1960. She and Darrel made their home in Bountiful and raised eight children. At the time of her passing, she and Darrel had been married for nearly 64 years.
Anita prioritized her roles of wife and mother. She was fortunate she did not need to work outside the home until after most of her children were grown, when she started working as a member of Senator Bob Bennett's office staff in 1993. Her children will always be grateful for all she did and sacrificed to raise them and "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Beyond home and family, Anita was "anxiously engaged" in many good causes. She pursued a variety of interests and served in various capacities in the church and community. She took her teacher's invitation to be a writer seriously. She would continue to develop her talents in music and writing, often combining the two. Her pursuits outside the home helped strengthen her children's testimony of Jesus Christ and instilled within them a love of beautiful and wholesome things. In all her pursuits, Anita influenced many people for good, but it was her family who was impacted the most.
Anita's church callings included ward chorister, stake cultural arts specialist, Sunday School teacher, and visiting teacher. In the community, she performed in the church's production of Promised Valley, along with the entire family. She served as a board member and chairman of The Bountiful Community Theater, directed plays, and sang in choirs-including the Oratorio Society of Utah and the Eleanor Kennard Chorale. And she directed Janeen Brady's, The Gift, for many years, presenting the program to hundreds of wards and stakes throughout Utah.
Besides all this, Anita continued to write. She was a columnist for the Davis County Clipper newspaper, as well as for Inside Utah magazine. She wrote articles for the church magazines. In 1987, she wrote the narration for and directed the Statewide Bicentennial Celebration of the United States Constitution. In 1998, she was called to serve on a writing committee of the church and helped produce two manuals in the series, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church. A few years later, Ardeth Kapp, former Young Women general president of the church, asked Anita to write her biography, which she did. The book, Stand As a Witness, was published in 2005 by Deseret Book.
Anita was preceded in death by her father and mother, Joseph and Laura Cosby, her daughter, April Thompson, and her granddaughter, Serena April Portzline. She is survived by her husband, Darrel Thompson, her sister, Kathleen (Maynard) Mangum, her brother, Michael (Jana) Cosby, her sister, Suzanne (Bill) Jensen, and her children Diana (Alan) Portzline, Alison (Curtis) Parker, David (Kim) Thompson, Dwight (Elizabeth) Thompson, Aaron (Rebecca) Thompson, Shawn (Mandy) Thompson, and Justin (Heidi) Thompson, as well as 30 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 13th at 11:00 a.m. at the Bountiful 31st Ward building, 585 East Center Street, Bountiful, UT. A viewing will be held on Sunday, May 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Russon Mortuary, 295 N. Main, Bountiful, Utah and on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment will be at the Bountiful City Cemetery.
Services will be streamed live on Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and this obituary page.
Anita's life was marked by faith in God, devotion to family, and a pursuit of "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." She was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through the good and bad, and even heartbreaking trials of her life, she remained faithful to the end.
Anita was born on October 3, 1938, to Joseph Ashton Cosby and Laura Marie Duffin, the first of four children. She lived in Inglewood, California for the first few years of her life. Even at a young age, she remembered the blackouts and curfews of World War II. At the age of four, Anita moved with her family to St. George, Utah, just down the street from the St. George Temple where she was baptized at the age of 8. The St. George Temple always held a special place in her heart.
At the age of 12, Anita moved with her family to Bountiful, Utah where she attended junior high and high school, and graduated from Davis High School in 1956. In junior high, she discovered a love of learning and writing. A teacher returned one of her papers with the note, "You should be a writer when you grow up." In the fall of 1956, Anita enrolled in classes at the University of Utah, where she continued to develop her writing abilities. She also discovered a love of music and joined the university choir.
In the summer of 1958, Anita traveled to upstate New York to participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. While there, she met her future husband, Darrel Thompson, who was one of the missionaries helping with the pageant. She also met the president of the Eastern States Mission, Gerald Smith, who asked her if she would be willing to stay and serve as a missionary. With permission from her parents, she agreed and completed a full-time mission.
Anita's acquaintance with Darrel continued after their missions when the two met again and began dating. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 8, 1960. She and Darrel made their home in Bountiful and raised eight children. At the time of her passing, she and Darrel had been married for nearly 64 years.
Anita prioritized her roles of wife and mother. She was fortunate she did not need to work outside the home until after most of her children were grown, when she started working as a member of Senator Bob Bennett's office staff in 1993. Her children will always be grateful for all she did and sacrificed to raise them and "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Beyond home and family, Anita was "anxiously engaged" in many good causes. She pursued a variety of interests and served in various capacities in the church and community. She took her teacher's invitation to be a writer seriously. She would continue to develop her talents in music and writing, often combining the two. Her pursuits outside the home helped strengthen her children's testimony of Jesus Christ and instilled within them a love of beautiful and wholesome things. In all her pursuits, Anita influenced many people for good, but it was her family who was impacted the most.
Anita's church callings included ward chorister, stake cultural arts specialist, Sunday School teacher, and visiting teacher. In the community, she performed in the church's production of Promised Valley, along with the entire family. She served as a board member and chairman of The Bountiful Community Theater, directed plays, and sang in choirs-including the Oratorio Society of Utah and the Eleanor Kennard Chorale. And she directed Janeen Brady's, The Gift, for many years, presenting the program to hundreds of wards and stakes throughout Utah.
Besides all this, Anita continued to write. She was a columnist for the Davis County Clipper newspaper, as well as for Inside Utah magazine. She wrote articles for the church magazines. In 1987, she wrote the narration for and directed the Statewide Bicentennial Celebration of the United States Constitution. In 1998, she was called to serve on a writing committee of the church and helped produce two manuals in the series, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church. A few years later, Ardeth Kapp, former Young Women general president of the church, asked Anita to write her biography, which she did. The book, Stand As a Witness, was published in 2005 by Deseret Book.
Anita was preceded in death by her father and mother, Joseph and Laura Cosby, her daughter, April Thompson, and her granddaughter, Serena April Portzline. She is survived by her husband, Darrel Thompson, her sister, Kathleen (Maynard) Mangum, her brother, Michael (Jana) Cosby, her sister, Suzanne (Bill) Jensen, and her children Diana (Alan) Portzline, Alison (Curtis) Parker, David (Kim) Thompson, Dwight (Elizabeth) Thompson, Aaron (Rebecca) Thompson, Shawn (Mandy) Thompson, and Justin (Heidi) Thompson, as well as 30 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 13th at 11:00 a.m. at the Bountiful 31st Ward building, 585 East Center Street, Bountiful, UT. A viewing will be held on Sunday, May 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Russon Mortuary, 295 N. Main, Bountiful, Utah and on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment will be at the Bountiful City Cemetery.
Services will be streamed live on Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and this obituary page.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Anita Lucille Cosby Thompson, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Viewing
Sunday, May 12, 2024
5:00 - 7:00 pm (Mountain time)
Russon Mortuary & Crematory - Bountiful
Viewing
Monday, May 13, 2024
9:30 - 10:30 am (Mountain time)
Bountiful 31st Ward
Funeral Service
Monday, May 13, 2024
11:00am - 12:00 pm (Mountain time)
Bountiful 31st Ward
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