Jo Ann Stansel, age 81, left this life to tend her Creator gardens on the morning of December 20, 2018 after a long and determined battle with cancer. She died in her daughter home where she had been under hospice care for more than a year.The beloved matriarch of four generations that included three children, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, Jo Ann was at her very core a nurturer an innate quality that belied the hardscrabble upbringing she endured typical of so many from her generation. From the bounty she coaxed from every patch of earth she so patiently worked, to the large home-cooked meals she conjured from her kitchen, to the countless puppies she raised, and to every conceivable project large or small to help family or friend, Jo Ann poured her heart and full attention into every effort.Devoted wholly to her family, Jo Ann moved as purposefully through the years as she did through the innumerable gardens of her life, touching everyone she met with her generous spirit and helping hand.Jo Ann was determined, selfless and independent. She was the rock upon whom her family could always count. A woman of few words, her deeds and example told her story. For more than 60 years, Jo Ann rarely missed a weekend in caring for her special needs son, Ollie Ray, Jr. Jo Ann was always by the side of her son, Rickie, as he endured numerous hospital stays over three years in a fight with a terminal illness that eventually took his life. And her only daughter, Vanessa, had the life-long security of knowing that her mother was always there for her.Jo Ann led a life almost devoid of vice. A resigned, well, foot! is one of the only expletives a family or friend may have heard her say. She truly enjoyed life simple pleasures gardening, canning, rearing her children, raising dogs and spending time with her family. Her occasional trips to a riverboat casino where she loved the large buffets as much as the penny slots served as her walk on the wild side. A woman who never earned much money, she nonetheless saved what she did earn, never leaving the security of her family to chance.Jo Ann, born on May 17, 1937, graduated from West Monroe High School and Ouachita Valley Vocational Technical School. She retired from St. Francis Medical Center after many years of service.Jo Ann is survived by her son, Ollie Ray Beavers, Jr., her daughter, Vanessa Ann Keith and husband T. Bradley of Baton Rouge; grandchildren, Melissa Atkinson and husband Patrick of Houston, TX, David Swanson of Baton Rouge, LA, Miranda Beavers of West Monroe, LA, Colin Keith of New Orleans, LA; and great-grandchildren, Katelyn, Gabe, Cecilia, Isabelle, Aurora, Brantley and Conner. She was preceded in death by her son, Rickie Beavers; mother, Catherine Thomas; father, Cleve Jowers; and husband, Howard Hough.Pallbearers will be T. Bradley Keith, David Swanson, Colin Keith,Gabe Griffin, Lamar Prisock and Rick Sturdivant. Honorary pallbearers are Ollie Ray Beavers, Jr. and Rickie Beavers.Visitation will be held at Kilpatrick Funeral Home in West Monroe on Wednesday, December 26, 2018 from 5:00 pm 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held at Kilpatrick Funeral Home Chapel- West Monroe,LA on Thursday, December 27, 2018 at 10:00 am. Interment to follow at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Choudrant, LA with Rev. Cecil Herrington officiating.Online condolences may be made to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com