Jo Nell Hawkins

Jo Nell Hawkins, 88 of Shiloh, passed away on July 14, 2024 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bryan, Texas.  Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 18, at 11 a.m. at Jones Funeral Services Chapel with Reverend Marcus Sheffield, officiating.  Interment will follow at Shiloh Cemetery.  Family visitation will be held prior to the service, starting at 10 a.m.  
Mrs. Don Hawkins (Jo Nell) was born the first child of V. C. Wood Jr. and Pauline (Wells) Wood on Jan. 26, 1936.  As the daughter of a Baptist deacon, her Christian faith began early and continued throughout her life. She was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Mexia.  Aside from a time living in the city of Mexia, she spent most of her life in Shiloh, in a house built across the pasture from her mother and daddy.  
She married the love of her life, Donald Ray Hawkins, on Oct. 23, 1954, and the two of them spent 63 wonderful years together. Both Don and Jo Nell were self-proclaimed “yard people”, who spent days and years cultivating their crepe myrtles and bougainvilleas and keeping an immaculate yard that eventually spread acres-wide along Hwy 39.  
She was known as “grandmother” to her grandchildren and “JoJo” to a few kids she kept in her home daycare for a couple of years. Others will remember her as the First Mexia Bank teller with her beautiful fresh-from-the-beauty shop hair, which she maintained along with her pretty outfits and perfect nails, up through her final days.  
Preceding her in death were her husband, Donald Ray Hawkins; parents, Verner Cameron Wood, Jr. and Pauline Wood and grandparents, Verner Cameron Wood, Sr. and Minnie (Byrd) Wood.  
Left to cherish her memories are her daughter, Donna Allen & husband, Jerry of Mexia; son, Richard Hawkins of Los Angeles, California; granddaughters, Brandi Allen Jones & husband, Michael of Mexia; Lacy Allen Paul & husband, Matt of Tyler; great-grandchildren, Kelsie Jones, Carson, Paisley, Carter and newborn Hadley Paul; one niece and two nephews, and brother, Dwayne E. Wood & wife, Patricia of Lubbock, Texas.  
Memorial contributions may be made to the music department of First Baptist Church of Mexia.  
Please visit www.jonesfuneralservicestx.com to sign the guestbook and leave a message for the family.