Josephine Ann "Jo Ann" Sutton, 86, of Fouke, Arkansas, passed away on April 20, 2026. Born January 13, 1940, in Fouke, Arkansas, she lived a life that was both rooted and rich, the kind of life that leaves fingerprints on generations. Fouke was not just where she was born. It was home in the truest sense, a place she remained for 84 of her years, building a life filled with family, work, faith, and a whole lot of love.

Jo Ann's life took her briefly to Oregon for a year in high school and, in her final season, to Murfreesboro to be near her family. But her roots never moved. Fouke was always home, and in many ways, so was she.

One of six children, Jo Ann grew up in a full house and carried that sense of family with her for the rest of her life. She graduated from Fouke High School and stepped into a world that needed steady hands and strong hearts. During the Vietnam War, she worked at Lone Star Ammunition, doing her part in a time that asked much of so many. She later devoted many years to the United States Post Office, where her consistency and care became part of the rhythm of the community. Retirement did not slow her down. It simply gave her a new chapter. As a hostess at the Texarkana Olive Garden, she welcomed people the same way she lived her life: warmly, genuinely, and with a quiet kindness that made people feel seen.

Jo Ann had a gift for growing things. Roses, gladiolas, and her beloved hydrangeas filled her world with color and care. She kept her vegetable garden well into her 80s, tending it with the same determination she brought to everything else. She could can vegetables and make jelly as well as anyone around, though as the years went on, eating those vegetables herself became another story. She knew what she liked, and more often than not, that included a Diet Dr Pepper close by. She also had a lifelong love, the salt shaker, which no doctor was ever going to talk her out of.

Her love for her family was unmistakable. She loved her children and grandchildren deeply, and she especially loved showing it through thoughtful packages and more clothes than anyone could reasonably wear. There was joy in her giving. There was intention in it too. It was her way of staying close, of saying "I'm thinking about you" without needing to say a word.

She was a member of Springhill Baptist Church, where her faith quietly shaped the way she lived and loved. Jo Ann had a big heart, the kind that made room for others, that gave freely, and that never kept score.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Forest and Evelyn Scott; her husband, Lloyd Wayne Sutton; her daughter, Judith Ann Sutton; and four of her siblings, who she missed dearly and spoke of often.

She leaves behind a family who will carry her memory forward with deep love: her son and daughter-in-law, Terry and Tammy Sutton of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; her brother Don Scott and his wife Debbie of Fouke, Arkansas; and her grandchildren Chad Sutton and his wife Courtney of Nashville, Tennessee, Dana Luther and her husband Billy of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Trevor Sutton and Christian Griffis of Live Oak, Florida. She also leaves behind six great-grandchildren: Claire and Cooper Sutton, children of Chad and Courtney; and Jasmine Luther, Tristan Marlow, Rhiannon Marlow, and Stevie Luther, children of Dana and Billy. They will grow up hearing stories about her strength, her generosity, and her unmistakable spirit.

She lived simply, loved deeply, and gave more than she ever asked for in return. And if there is a Diet Dr Pepper somewhere in heaven, it is safe to say she has already found it.

A celebration of Mrs. Sutton's life will be 2:00 P. M. on Friday, April 24, 2026, at Texarkana Funeral Home, Arkansas. Frank McFerrin and Cody Hildebrand will be officiating the service. Burial will be in Fouke Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at Texarkana Funeral Home, Arkansas, on Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.

Memorials may be made to the Fouke Cemetery Association, 3472 MC43 Fouke, Arkansas 71837.

The family will be at the Sutton Home, 1315 MC 24, Fouke, Arkansas, 71837.