Anna Jo Cashion

Anna “Jo” Cashion was welcomed into the loving embrace of her Lord and Savior on Monday, May 23, 2016 and we are sure, gave him a big hug back! Anna Jo was born on July 22, 1928 to John W and Alice Walden Bonneau in Durant, Oklahoma. As a young girl, Jo grew up in McAllen and Brownsville.

In 1959 she married the family of Stewart W. Cashion and his 4-year old daughter, Susan Marie Cashion, creating the family she always desired. Jo and Stewart were happily married for 25 years before he passed away in February of 1986.

Jo was a resident of Portland and a member of the First Baptist Church for the past 50 years. After Stewart’s death, Jo’s life was sustained by her church family and the many friendships that blossomed within her congregation and the special friends she made in the New Beginnings Sunday School class.  It was also this group that helped her with their prayers and encouragement during her 7 year battle with Multiple Myeloma. Her favorite part of her attendance at church functions was “greeting time” when she was both the giver and the recipient of many, many hugs!

In addition to her church family, Jo received strength from her daughter, Susan Abarca and her son-in-law David Abarca, and loving grandson, Anthony Michael Abarca and his fiancé, Tabitha Brown, all of Corpus Christi, and her precious granddaughter, Anna Marie Abarca, of San Antonio. She loved them with all her heart and they loved and supported her throughout her life and in special ways throughout her battle with cancer.

Jo worked outside the home in various capacities at the Portland News, Texas Gold Stamps Main Office, and First Baptist Church and even served as a “missionary” during her work at First United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi. She also worked at Willeford Chevrolet and completed her working life with seven years in the Safety Department at Naval Station Ingleside, where she adopted another family member her newest “daughter”, Connie Sugarman.

Jo loved all of God’s creatures, but was fondest of His cats, and was the pied piper of cats. She never met a cat she didn’t want to help, or at least feed.

Jo’s journey to Heaven was preceded by her parents, her husband Stewart, her sisters, Dixie Lee Bonneau and Mary Helen Moses, her brothers and their wives, Howard Courtney (Geneva) and John Bonneau, Jr (Janey), and two brothers-in-law, Gilbert Pinson and Arlis Moses. In addition to her local family members, Jo is survived by her sister, Dorothy Pinson of Leslie, Arkansas, and literally hundreds of nieces and nephews, and her cat, Boo Belle!

Pallbearers will be Tim Pinson, Bob Hutchins, David Singleton, Brad Sarchet, Larry Champion, and David Moore.

A visitation is scheduled at Limbaugh Funeral Home, in Portland, from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, May 27^th, and Funeral Services at 11AM on Saturday, May 28^th at First Baptist Church of Portland.

The family thanks the loving congregation of First Baptist Church of Portland, Andrea Marin for her years of dedicated service and care, the caring staff at AAdi Home Health Agency and Gentiva Hospice, and the many doctors and their staffs who cared for her needs.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the First Baptist Church Young at Heart Ministry or an animal rescue organization of your choice. Also, please remember to keep the doors closed so the cat won’t get out!