Jo Ann Sturgeon

She was born on September 29, 1931 in Sonora, Kentucky. She gave her life to Jesus at a young age and was baptized. She knew her life’s calling was to serve the Lord through mission.

She received her Associate of Arts degree from Mars Hill College in North Carolina; took preclinical training at Mather School of Nursing at the Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University of Louisiana in New Orleans. She also attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

She married Eldon Sturgeon on July 1st, 1952. Both Eldon and Jo Ann shared the same calling to serve as foreign missionaries. In June 1957, they were appointed by the International Mission Board, known then as the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In August 1957, they began their 45 years as missionaries by going to a language school in Costa Rica to learn Spanish. They were trusting and faithful and went obediently with their 2 young daughters in tow, Leslie Fay had just turned 2 and Ruth ‘Sunny’ was 6 months old. On December 24th, 1958 they arrived in Mexico City with 3 daughters, Linda was just 6 weeks old! Their fourth and youngest daughter Martha was born in Mexico. They served as missionaries in Mexico until their retirement in 2002. During their 45 years as missionaries in Mexico, they shared their love for the Lord and were embraced by the Mexican nationals. They were truly loved and respected in Mexico and both Eldon and Jo Ann were considered their “Mexican” brother and sister in Christ.

Jo Ann was instrumental in helping with the music and children's ministry in Mexico's churches. She wrote Sunday School literature for six to eight year olds for the Baptist Spanish Publishing House in El Paso, Texas. She was very active in the music department of the First Baptist Church in Mexico City. She taught piano and organ at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary from 1974-2000, as well as a religious education class on children's work from 1986-1999. She wrote the book Ensenanza Eficiente = Aprendizaje Feliz (Efficient Teaching = Happy Learning) for preparing teachers to reach school age children. Jo Ann has touched thousands with her music and children's ministry and she is dearly remembered in Mexico as 'mi hermana en Cristo'.

Eldon and Jo Ann retired after 45 years of service in Mexico and moved to Austin, Texas. They were active members of Crestview Baptist Church in Austin where Jo Ann continued to minister with her piano playing and Eldon led lead Bible studies and taught Sunday School.

Jo Ann joins her husband and best friend of over 70 years, Eldon Sturgeon; her parents, Sanford and Demetra Ferguson; brothers: Paul, James, John, and sister Betty Monin; her grandson Shawn Brock Sturgeon; and daughter Leslie Fay and her husband Ed Fuchs in Heaven.

She is survived by 3 daughters: Ruth ‘Sunny’ Sturgeon; Linda and her husband Antonio Vargas and their 2 children: Ximena and Antonio; Martha and her husband Chris Mendenhall and their 2 sons: Jacob and Joshua and his wife Lauren and their sons Wyatt and Sawyer.

She lived by her faith and was a blessing to all who met her. She was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend that always showed unconditional love. She was smart, witty, kind and gentle, and beautiful inside and out! She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten; her wonderful memories will carry us on.

While this is the end of Jo Ann’s physical life on Earth, we must remember that it’s the beginning of an amazing eternal life in Heaven.