Jo Mcrae

Jo Ann McRae, 84, of Abilene, passed away on July 28, 2021.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm Saturday, December 4th at Elmwood West United Methodist Church in Abilene. Pastor Jeff Hatcher will officiate.

Jo Ann was born on October 9th, 1936, in Lake Village, Arkansas, the first of the 4 daughters of Brown Clary and Ruth Greenham Clary. After graduating from Star City High School, Jo Ann married her sweetheart, Thomas McRae, on August 11th, 1957, in Star City. As a military spouse, Jo Ann always made sure her children were cared for and safe while Thomas was deployed. She was the rock and glue of our family. She loved her husband and children unconditionally, and the delights of her later life were her 3 grandchildren, Matthew, Natalie, and Cameron. Shortly before passing on, Jo Ann met her first great-grandchild, Draigen.

When her children were older, Jo Ann worked at Chic-Fil-A at the Mall of Abilene and then at Dyess Federal Credit Union, starting as a teller and working her way up to Branch Manager. She was a fair, compassionate, natural leader who prioritized her relationships with those she cared about. She was warm, generous, and non-judgmental with people and was loved by all who knew her. In retirement, Jo Ann volunteered at Abilene Regional Hospital.

Jo Ann was a strong woman of faith. As a longtime member of Elmood West Methodist Church, she regularly attended worship, taught Sunday school, and volunteered whenever she could. Later in life, she organized prayer groups while living at Royal Estates and Merkel Nursing Center. One thing you could always count on is that Jo Ann continually prayed for the people in her life and treasured her friendships. She was an angel on Earth.

Jo Ann is survived by her 3 sisters, Pat, Sue, and Becky; daughter Belinda and husband Rick of Tye, TX; son Ron and wife Erin of Austin, TX; a grandson Matthew, wife Sarah and great-grandson Draigen; a granddaughter Natalie and grandson Cameron, and brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Elmwood West United Methodist Church general fund, 1302 S. Pioneer Dr., Abilene, TX 79605 or to Hendrick Hospice Care at https://www.hendrickhealth.org/services/hospice-care/donate/.