Pentecostal preacher and businesswoman Rosemary Cosby died Saturday of heart failure. She was 65.
Cosby, a leader in the Utah black community, was founder and minister of Faith Temple at 1510 S. Richards St. (40 West). Through her church, she was also involved in diverse business holdings including TLC Daycare, Records and Tapes, and Hair and Skin Elegante; United Financial Security mortgage company, Southern Plantation Restaurant; El Security Realty; Rozie's Balloons and Flowers; and KLLB-AM radio.Cosby told the Deseret News in March 1996 she came to Salt Lake City as a missionary from Indianapolis in 1960 after God told her it was her destiny and duty to do so.
She returned to Indiana after a brief stay, but despite Utah's few black residents and predominance of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the woman who would later become known to many local residents as "Mama" never hesitated in her faith. With only $26, her four children in tow, and a lot of conviction, she made the trek West again in 1961.
This time she stayed. Faith Temple found its first home after Cosby said God began prompting her about Indiana. She thought at first he was telling her to go home, but then one day while driving through the city she noticed a home with an adjoining lot for sale.
The address was 1035 W. Indiana Ave., adjacent to the Jordan River. Taking this as a sign, Cosby bought the property, which became Faith Temple's first location. The building was later renovated after it was damaged by an arson fire in 1974 and now houses the TLC Teaching and Learning Center operated by the church.
In March, the Black History Dinner Theatre honored Cosby by presenting the story of her life, "The Woman Called Mama" at Salt Lake Community College's Grand Theater.
Funeral arrangements at Broom-head Funeral Home in Riverton are pending.