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Lylah June (Blanken) McCosh, age 86, of Manhattan, died Oct. 21, 2020, at the Good Shepherd Homecare and Hospice House in Manhattan.
She was born June 30, 1934, in rural Linn, the daughter of Karl John William Blanken and Clara Emma Marie (Meyer) Blanken.
Lylah graduated from Chapman High School in 1952, and then took her registered nurse training from 1952 to 1955 in Vicksburg, MS, Chicago, Ill., for her OBGYN training and in Tallahassee, Fl., for her psychiatry training that was paid for by the Lutheran Laymen’s League. She then worked for the Abilene Hospital.
She met Kenneth “Ken” McCosh in Chapman, and they were married on Oct. 7, 1956, in Clay Center.
They moved to Manhattan and she worked at Memorial Hospital in the OBGYN and later was the Labor/Delivery supervisor. In 1978, she went to work at Surgical Associates for Dr. George Bascom and worked with Dr. Bascom until she retired in 1993.
In the spring of 1977 she was one of the Riley County citizens involved in the origination of Hospice Care of Manhattan.
Lylah was a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. She enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s events and watching her grandchildren participate in sports, reading, traveling, gardening and visiting with family and friends.
Survivors include her two children, Kent McCosh and his wife Kathi, of Lenexa, and Ann Williams and her husband Steve, of Manhattan; 5 grandchildren: Maddie McCosh and her fiancé Joe Arduini of Roeland Park, KS, Michael McCosh of Lenexa, Bryce Williams of Parker, Colo., Ryan Williams of Manhattan, and Evan Williams of Wichita; and two siblings: Elmer Blanken, of Leavenworth, and Mary Ann Mall, of Clay Center, along with many loving nieces and nephews.
Lylah was preceded in death by her husband Ken on April 25, 2016; by her parents and five siblings: Clarence Blanken, Wilda Helms, Ernest Blanken, Nora Goodin and Lorna Stigge.
Cremation was done with private family services at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan with Reverend Michael Schmidt offciating. Inurnment followed in the Union-Livingston Cemetery north of Abilene.
Online condolences may be left for the family through the funeral home website at www.ymlfuneralhome.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Orphan Grain Train, Lutheran Hour Ministries or Shepherd’s Canyon Retreat. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.
Washington County News • Oct. 29, 2020