"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6

Share with us in celebrating the life of Jo Ann Zweiacker by attending her memorial service at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 21, 2016 in the First Baptist Church, Cache.

Private family burial will be in the Cache Cemetery, Cache.

Beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend and faithful servant of her Savior Jesus Christ, Jo Ann Zweiacker passed away Friday, July 1, 2016, at age 75.   Jo Ann was born in Lawton on March 9, 1941  with a dust storm approaching  to John Otha Robinson and (Ruth) Marie Barker Robinson. Jo Ann grew up in Cache, along with her older (14 months) sister Mary Lou Robinson Putney (husband Leon, of Cache). Jo Ann's father was a military man who worked as a civilian coordinator at Fort Sill Army Base in Lawton, and then as a supervisor on many of the construction projects for the Civilian Conservation Corps. Her mother Marie was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker.

Life for the Robinson girls was rewarding and productive as they played and explored the farm owned by their maternal grandparents James Henry Barker and Martha Elizabeth Hestand Barker, who often babysat when their mother was shopping in town. Their PaPa and BaBa Barker taught their granddaughters how to skim milk, which they then sold to Fairmont's Creamery Company in Lawton. The girls also learned about grinding corn to feed chickens, tending vegetables, chasing runaway pigs, outhouses and other farm necessities. Jo Ann's father eventually leased an adjoining farm so that the family could be closer together. Both Jo Ann and Mary Lou were healthy country girls ó sisters who shared everything, including a bed with pillows stuffed by their grandmother that she had made after collecting feathers from her own chickens.

They were inquisitive and mischievous, hiding from their mother in the clothes racks of department stores and testing the water fountains marked "Colored Only," and marveling at how it tasted the same as that of the "Whites Only" ones. Thanks to the years of fresh country air and physical conditioning that came with daily farm life, Jo Ann excelled in basketball as a teenager at Cache High School ó lettering four years  and as the captain her junior and senior years. Around this time, a boy named Paul Leon Zweiacker, who attended Big Pasture High School in nearby Randlett, became familiar with Jo Ann as their schools played each other in basketball. But it wasn't until they both attended Oklahoma State University that he truly appreciated the gracious Christian woman she was. After dating during their junior and senior years at OSU, Paul and Jo Ann married at First Baptist Church in Lawton on Aug. 17, 1963. After graduation, they moved to Edmond, and both taught school in Putnam City.

Jo Ann also traveled with Paul to work for Green Giant Company in Illinois during the summers. All told, Jo Ann would teach English, reading and Special Education courses in Stillwater and Edmond, and later in Richardson, Texas, where they settled. Eventually the Zweiacker's' family circle was completed with the birth of their only son, Gregory Paul Zweiacker (wife Jen, of College Station) while the couple was in South Dakota finishing Paul's master's degree.

While Paul was studying, Jo Ann sold Avon beauty supplies to pay for their first 35mm camera (in anticipation of Greg's birth). With Jo Ann's loving encouragement to do so, Paul completed his doctoral degree and was offered a job in New York, where Jo Ann found herself the mother of a toddler in an unfamiliar and chaotic metropolis. But as was her lifelong pattern, Jo Ann saw new and challenging situations as chances for her to anchor herself closer to God and rely on her faith during difficult days. This habit allowed her to thrive instead of to simply survive, even amidst personal hardship and declining health.

Thus, Jo Ann found refuge and purpose in teaching God's word to others. She taught adult Sunday school and Bible classes for more than 20 years, as well as Vacation Bible School to children. Indeed, "God was first in her life's journey" as she testified and ministered to friends, neighbors, her various social circles, strangers in the grocery store and eventually to those she encountered during her time at MD Anderson Cancer Center. "It was important to her that people discussed the word of God ó comparing Bible verses from different versions of the Bible," one family member recalls. In doing so, Jo Ann knew that this approach led others to discover God more rapidly and on a deeper personal level as she had for herself, making notes and annotating her own set of scriptures in her Bible. Likewise, she enjoyed collecting antique flow blue china ó reflective of her favorite color blue ó and tastefully decorating her home.

While Jo Ann was a true lady, she always maintained her sense of fun and discovery. This was evident in her obtaining her Master's Degree in Education from North Texas State University. Also, she annually defended her title as Women's Champion at the World Buffalo Chip Throwing Contest at Cache Frontier Days in her hometown. Always the teacher, as a loving mother, Jo Ann allowed Greg to be himself and encouraged him to explore his talents and pursue new and various interests which included basketball (of course), competitive swimming and becoming a concert violinist. She delighted in discovering the wider world and spoke fondly of her time as a chaperone for Greg's three-week high school trip to Europe for an orchestra competition.

Additionally, Jo Ann and Paul (along with her sister and brother-in-law) spent time salmon fishing in Alaska. And since Jo Ann was struggling with an ankle injury at the time, Paul had to wade into the Russian River and net every fish she hooked ó allowing her to catch the legal limit of fish for the both of them. Theirs was a loving, lifelong friendship. She would often call out "Pauly-On" (a combination of his first and middle names) when she wanted to show him something. And while friends might have been confused by it, Paul knew exactly what she wanted.

Indeed, Jo Ann's legacy was one of loving service, which she sought to carry on even during her days at MD Anderson. With her vibrant spirit, she accepted each opportunity to represent and offer the gospel of Christ quickly ... or "like a turkey on a June bug," as she would often say. Jo Ann finally declared, "For my family, celebrate my life. I've loved it!!!"

Missing Jo Ann dearly are her devoted husband Paul; her son, Greg and daughter-in-law Jen Zweiacker; Jo Ann's mother, Marie Robinson; her sister and brother-in-law, Mary Lou and Leon Putney; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: barbarabush.org/donate.