Josephine (Jo) Durham Cigainero was born in Texarkana on May 18, 1937, to Mabel and Frank Durham, both going before her. She was reunited with them and her Lord and Savior on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at the age of 85.
Josephine married William (Bill) Cigainero on January 25, 1957, and they remained devoted to each other for sixty-six years! They loved to travel, but more than anything, they loved to spend time with family. Jo was always up for a four-wheeler ride, a motorcycle ride, a day on the lake, a house full of friends, or a race down Stateline!
Josephine was a pillar of strength to everyone she knew and probably the strongest person most ever knew. She endured so much in her life but never let it get her down, and she never gave up. She was a role model to many, and her service to others was rarely outdone. She never cared how something affected her but was only concerned for those she loved. She was a member of Trinity Baptist Church, serving faithfully until her health started to fail. She was a Sunday School teacher and mentor to many. She served on the hospitality committee, where she planned numerous church events, and was a wedding planner and decorator to many. Her love for her Lord and others was evident in all she did.
She worked for over fifty years for H & R Block, and her clients became her friends. She worked for Liberty Tax at the time of her death.
Josephine loved butterflies, and we think it was because she was so much like a butterfly. In the words of Betty White, “Butterflies are like women; they may look pretty and delicate, but can fly through a hurricane”.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mabel Durham; two brothers, Floyd Durham and Frank Durham, Jr.; three sisters, Francis Johnson, Helen (Sis) Wiley, and Linda Denney; and one granddaughter, Angie Cigainero Case.
She is survived by her husband, William (Bill) Cigainero; two sons and one daughter-in-law; Dewayne Cigainero, Jeff Cigainero and his wife Deanna, one daughter and son-in-law, Sheila Jones and her husband, Adam; two sisters, Betty Garrison and her husband Butch, and Ruth O’Bar, seven grandchildren, Christina Cigainero, Scotty Jones, Kayla Harrison, Kelli Jones, Justin Cigainero and his wife, Cherene, Bud Cigainero and his wife Kelsie and Austin Jones and his wife, Jessica, thirteen great-grandchildren, Bryce Case, Dante’ Milligan, Hunter Cigainero, Kenadie Harrison, Asaiah Milligan, Callie Cigainero, Lynlee Jones, Hayden Harrison, Jasper Cigainero, Adilyne Cannon, Aria Jones, Jones Cannon and Charlie Jones and a host of friends and other relatives.
A celebration of her life will be at 2:00 P. M. Saturday at the Texarkana Funeral Home Arkansas Chapel, with Rev. Wallace Edgar officiating. Burial will be at Harmony Grove Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at their residence, 5600 Old Blackmon Ferry Road, Texarkana, Arkansas starting at 5 PM Friday.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Trinity Baptist Church, 3115 Trinity Blvd. Texarkana, Arkansas, 71854, or to Dierksen Hospice, Texarkana, Arkansas.
