Joann Mitchell Coscia
December 29, 1948 – August 27, 2025
Joann Mitchell Coscia, 76, of Barbourville, Kentucky, passed away surrounded by family on August 27, 2025, in her lifelong home on Pine Street after a courageous battle with leukemia. Born on December 29, 1948, in Barbourville, she was the daughter of the late Joe and Anna Lois Tye Mitchell. Joann’s life was a testament to faith, family, and the gift of song.
From her early childhood, Joann became known for her voice, both as a vocalist and a masterful storyteller who entertained people as much as she inspired them. She was a soprano soloist, gracing church services, choir concerts, weddings, funerals, and community events with her gift. Her kindness and talent made her a local celebrity, touching countless lives with her music and generosity of spirit.
Joann faced leukemia with extraordinary courage, undergoing a stem cell transplant in 2017 and living cancer-free for seven years before a heartbreaking relapse. Through every trial, she clung steadfastly to her faith, trusting in God’s plan. Her resilience, buoyed by setbacks and miracles alike, was a beacon of hope to all who knew her.
Joann’s heart was a haven for others. As an owner of Coscia Drugs, for years a cornerstone pharmacy in Barbourville, she commonly spent weekends and late hours delivering medicine to those who were too sick to leave their homes. Earlier, she served as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Barbourville Independent School, where she formed enduring bonds with children she watched blossom into adulthood. Her work at the school, along with her work with patients at the Barbourville Nursing Home, reflected her deep love for both the very young and the elderly, whom she held dear. A devoted volunteer, she led the Young at Heart group, a vibrant circle of elderly women at First United Methodist Church, where her leadership fostered joy and connection. Joann’s home was always open to her children’s friends, whom she welcomed as family with a seat at her table and a place in her heart.
Along with her parents, Joann was preceded in death by her brother, Jim Gorman Mitchell, and her brother-in-law, Gene Pearl.
Joann is survived by her sister, Carol Pearl; her sister-in-law, Luanne Mitchell; her two children, Melissa Hyde Reid (Tommy) and Edward Hyde (Karen); her three stepchildren, Alesia Bernardo, Charlie Coscia (Lisa), and Johnny Coscia (Shaniuh); her grandchildren, Katie Bernardo, Tony Bernardo (Brittany Keenan), Michael Ryan Cornett, Zachary Cornett, Jason Coscia, Tim Coscia, Kenton Frederick (Jillian Malloy), Mitchell Frederick (Madison), Ashton Hite (Travis), Brayden Hyde, and Gabriel Hyde (Hannah); as well as a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends she cherished as family.
Visitation will be held at 4:00 p.m., with a service to follow at 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at First United Methodist Church in Barbourville. Hopper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to The Donnie Lawson & Jonathan Drue Anderson Memorial Endowment Fund at Union Commonwealth University. Donations may be made online at www.unionky.edu/give (select “Other” under Fund and specify the fund name) or by check mailed to: Union Commonwealth University, Office of Advancement, 310 College Street, CPO Box D-4, Barbourville, KY 40906. Please include the fund name in the memo line.
The Hopper Family, Victoria Hopper York and Sally Hopper, and the staff of Hopper Funeral Home: Mrs. Lorena Blankenship, Mr. Reid Brewer, Mr. Robin Reese, Ms. Quinlyn Chrisco, Mr. Steven Walker, Ms. Nicole Collins, and Mrs. Brenda Johnson extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Joann Mitchell Coscia. READ LESS
