Joycelyn “Joy” Walden Cogswell, the longtime pianist at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, died Monday evening at her home with her family by her side.
Mrs. Cogswell was 75.
“I believe God gave me a gift to be able to share his love through my hands,” Mrs. Cogswell said in 2018 before playing a final time for the Sunday service at the church on Westmont Drive. “That’s always been my goal: to have people not look at me, but to hear what God is trying to say to them through the music.”
Mrs. Cogswell became the pianist at the church in 1974, exhibiting her music talent on the grand piano. She served for 47 years.
Mrs. Cogswell was involved in every aspect of music at the church, including accompanying the sanctuary and youth choirs, the Men’s Ensemble and performances of the annual “Singing Christmas Tree” for 40 consecutive years.
She became director of The Snyder Music Academy, which began in 2002, and later incorporated the Kindermusik music curriculum as a part of the academy.
She also was a substitute pianist at Lafayette Baptist Church in Fayetteville and Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh.
A native of Columbia, Mississippi, and graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor of music education with piano principal degree, Mrs. Cogswell is remembered for a music career that included the Young-Musicians’ Preparatory Program at Methodist University as the founding director of the Methodist University Summer Music Camp in 1989.
She also introduced and taught Kindermusik programs for toddlers at the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority and Methodist University in the 1990s.
In 2008, Mrs. Cogswell became the first inductee into the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, she accompanied a 250-member choir at Carnegie Hall in midtown Manhattan in New York City.
After retiring from Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Mrs. Cogswell taught music to pre-K and first-grade students at Fayetteville Academy.
“My love of music came naturally to me,” Mrs. Cogswell said in a May interview with CityView Media. “My dad’s family was heavily involved in music. Three of my aunts were church organists, and my dad and two other siblings played other instruments. My mother was a piano major in college. I started taking piano lessons at age 5 and don’t ever remember considering any other career. I had a talented and nurturing piano teacher and a choral director and band director who were great influences on me.”
Mrs. Cogswell was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the fall and was in hospice care at her home. The Snyder Memorial Baptist Church choir surprised Mrs. Cogswell on Dec. 22 to sing Christmas carols for her.
She was overjoyed.
On Tuesday, there was a pall throughout Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, church leaders said.
“Joy epitomized the ‘Sweet, Sweet Spirit’ that we all know and love about Snyder Memorial Baptist Church,” retired pastor the Rev. John Cook said Tuesday. “There is no telling the eternal impact she has had in the lives of people of all ages, from preschoolers to senior adults. Our congregation absolutely loved her. I told the congregation on multiple occasions I wanted a room next to hers in heaven so I could continue to hear her play the piano for all eternity.
“What struck me most about her was her genuine humility in spite of the fact that she was so gifted. I told her that on numerous occasions, which only made her blush. One of her greatest gifts to our youth was the medley she would put together and play at the service we had at the end of the year for our graduating seniors. It was a medley of songs they had sung over their years in our youth choir; songs these young people will carry in their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives.
“She was one of the greatest blessings to our congregation in our church’s rich history,” the Rev. Cook said.
Associate Pastor Bruce Herrmann said Mrs. Cogswell worshipped the Lord as she played hymns on the piano each Sunday.
“Her worship helped us to worship as we listened to her ‘specials’ and sang hymns as she played,” Herrmann said. “She touched every age group in our congregation, from young children to senior adults. Our sorrow of her passing is mirrored with our joy of knowing she is present with our and her savior.”
Mrs. Donna Davenport succeeded Mrs. Cogswell as director of Snyder Music Academy.
“Joy loved God,” Mrs. Davenport said. “Joy loved music. She knew the value, connection and benefit of both and spent her life investing in people through them. Discovering and nurturing talent she saw in students, finding ways through scholarship outreach to ensure music lessons for interested or gifted students with financial barriers, creating innovative ways for individuals and families to fall in love with and enjoy God’s gift of music, and stirring souls toward God through her own piano playing.
“This was Joy’s love language. She breathed that language throughout her career as Snyder Memorial Baptist Church pianis, and as founding director of Snyder Music Academy. Our new logo established for Snyder Music Academy this year is “Snyder Music Academy –Sharing the joy of music,’ and it epitomizes what Joy lived for and her legacy. This is intentionally placed at the end of the logo because the parameters of joy brought through music are measureless, as are the number of lives touched, blessed, and changed by Joy Cogswell.”
Mrs. Cogswell is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert “Bob” Cogswell; daughter Katheryne Pennington and her husband, Christopher, of Franklin, Wisconsin; and granddaughter Paige.
A memorial service is scheduled for noon Saturday at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. The family will receive friends after the service in the church’s Gathering Hall
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
