Jo Anna Parker

Jo Anna Parker, 79, of Mount Ida, Arkansas passed away,

Monday, September 11, 2023 in Little Rock. She was born August

23, 1944 in DeQueen to Vernon C. and Margery Eudora (Trotter)

Wills. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband,

Jerry Parker; and her daughter, Tracey Lea Hill.

Jo Anna is survived by her son, Andy Hill; daughters, Nanette

(Scotty) Belford and Candy Straus; grandchildren, Austin Andrew

Hill, Parker (Brittany) Aycock, Taylor (Jordan) Taulton, Dakota

(Ashleigh) Aycock, Maverick Aycock, Colton (Britni) Rutherford,

Mary Grace Straus, Kathryn Elizabeth “Kit” Straus, and Hayley

Smothers Long; great grandchildren, Rhett Aycock, Bo

Rutherford, Lincoln Hill, and Knox Aycock; sisters Nancy Brown

Dighton and Patricia Wills; along with a host of other family and

friends.

Jo Anna loved to learn from an early age, and following her

graduation from Hazen High School, she continued her education

at the University of Arkansas where she was a member of the

Razorback marching band. Jo Anna obtained her Bachelor of

Science in education and began her teaching career. She taught

at Parkview High School before moving to Mount Ida with the love

of her life, Jerry Parker.

The only thing Jo Anna loved more than education was her family.

She and Jerry married on January 11, 1974. Jerry and Jo Anna

were inseparable for much of their marriage. They loved spending

time together with friends and family, working around their

beautiful home Jerry built for them, and dancing. They were a fun

sight at any event with a dance floor, especially the Junior-Senior

proms they attended annually.

Many of Jo Anna’s surviving friends are colleagues, former

students, and those students’ parents as she was a dedicated

teacher that impacted her students’ lives in more than just their

education. Jo Anna loved science and spent many years in

her early career teaching general biology, basic biology, and

human physiology during her time at Parkview High School in

Little Rock. In August of 1981, Jo Anna and Jerry moved to Mount

Ida, and she began teaching junior high English as well as

sponsoring the journalism club before transitioning to high school

English and literature while sponsoring the Beta Club. She

worked tirelessly to teach her students the importance of word

knowledge, the value of a well-placed comma, and the beauty of

written language, but more so she strived to make every student

feel loved, supported, and encouraged during her 20 years at

Mount Ida High School.

After Mrs. Parker successfully retired on her third attempt, she

enjoyed getting back to her biology roots with the Montgomery

County Master Gardeners, putting her green thumb and

horticultural knowledge to good use. She also spent countless

hours reading, tending to her many houseplants, playing bridge

with a local club, and chatting non-stop with her best friends. Jo

Anna rarely met a stranger, and she often developed lifelong

friendships from chance meetings. Jo Anna smiled with her entire

face and possessed an infectious giggle that often accompanied

silly shenanigans, but she could also handle her own with the

biggest, burliest of high school students despite her extremely

petite stature. To know Jo Anna was to know pure love,

happiness, and an unstoppable spitfire!

A visitation with the family will be Saturday, September 16, 2023,

1:00- 2:00 pm at Thornton Funeral Home Chapel with a

celebration of Jo Anna’s life immediately following at 2:00 pm.

Arrangements are under the direction of Thornton Funeral Home

in Mt. Ida. Guest register at www.thorntonfh.com.