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It is with sad hearts that we say good-bye to one of our dear Mary Kay angels, Independent National Sales Director Emeritus Jo Anne Cunnington, who passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, July 18, 2015, at her home in Oregon. Jo Anne will be remembered for her soft-spoken way of leadership. Those who knew her were drawn to her inspirational enthusiasm. Despite adversity, she had strength of heart and kept going with her notorious, kind-hearted way, gentle spirit, and million-dollar smile. No wonder so many were attracted to the Mary Kay opportunity through her, and then, went on to become champions, like Jo Anne.

Once a shy, young woman, single mother, and Independent Beauty Consultant living from skin care class to skin care class when she began, Jo Anne worked hard at her Mary Kay business. “Without the unlimited financial and emotional opportunities, we’d have never made it,” Jo Anne said. She grew to become a poised, courageous overcomer, working hard to grow from the inside, out. She became a Mary Kay Independent Sales Director who was in the Top Ten of her Seminar ten times, led her Unit to the Million Dollar Circle of Excellence seven times, and was a Top Ten Sales Director nationwide six times. She also was Queen of Unit Sales for her Seminar seven times. She went on to represent the pinnacle of success in Mary Kay, debuting as a Mary Kay Independent National Sales Director in 1994. However, Jo Anne’s love for people and her perseverance were her greatest accolades and are her legacy. She will live on in our hearts always.

Jo Anne credited Mary Kay Ash for restoring her life. Once, when recounting her life as a Mary Kay leader, Jo Anne wrote, “I have loved it all the jewels, the prizes, the earnings, the awards, but if they said I had to give it all back, except two things, I would keep my personal growth and what Mary Kay has done for my children. It has been a rare privilege to live each day with such purpose in my life.” Then she said, “Never forget in the darkness what you have learned in the light!”

Jo Anne is survived by her daughter, Alexi Leibelt and husband, Kent; her son, Chad Turner and wife, Tonya; and her beloved grandchildren, Joseph, Lacey, Gaby and Lola, as well as her longtime companion, Gary Jacoshenk.