Vera Jordan, aged 84, passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on July 16, 2022. She was born Vera Jo Durr to Dorothy Mattie Drew Drinkwater and George Marshall Durr in Morgan, Georgia on August 6, 1937.
A cheerful soul with a quick wit and tireless work ethic, Vera tackled numerous occupations and causes with characteristic finesse throughout her rich and full life. She began working for Dr. C. Neal Canup as an administrative secretary for many many years starting in Heflin, Alabama in 1967. While maintaining her full time job with Dr. Canup, during the early 1970’s to 2005 she assisted her late husband, Arlin, in running his successful business, Golden Springs Chevron and then Anniston Chevron.
Dr. Canup and Vera moved to Northeast Alabama Medical Center in the early 80s when Dr. Canup took the position as Medical Education Director and Vera found her true vocation embarking on what would become a decade’s long career at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. Vera was quickly enlisted to help him launch the Anniston Family Practice Residency program. By 1983, she became the Medical Staff Coordinator for RMC, a position she held until her “retirement” in 2001. Three years later with one phone call from Buddy Canup and she jumped at the chance to once again work alongside him to develop a program for Osteopathic medicine students through the Alabama Medical Education Consortium, and eventually the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. The mentorship of those students was once again a venue for her tireless dedication to the field of medicine. The many other responsibilities, accomplishments, memberships, and distinctions she accrued over her distinguished career are too numerous to mention here, a testament to her tireless energy and commitment to all those she loved.
Vera was not only a Master Gardener (and anyone who saw her garden Knows she didn’t just learn it but was a true steward) but also a longtime member of the Anniston Beautification Board, brightening the city with plants she often bought herself. She was a devoted Christian and longtime Sunday School teacher. She loved Braves Baseball and Alabama Football and despite her striking, movie star beauty, she could catch a fish, build a fence or raise a barn with the best of them. She also enjoyed years of travel and adventure with her late partner, Jerry Bush. Simply put: she was one of a kind.
Vera is survived by her children, Marshall Remar Cash and his wife Carol O’Brien, and Dorothy Deedee Cash, step children Susan Bennett, Janet and Lee Parnell, and David and Cindy Bush, granddaughter, Caitlin O’Brien, and grandson, Casey O’Brien, as well as the many friends and relatives in whose lives she shone brightly. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Bobby Durr, her husband Arlin Jordan and her partner Jerry Bush.
Funeral Services will take place at Anniston First United Methodist Church Acker Chapel on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 11:00 a, with visitation prior at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to RMC Foundation at rmccares.org/donate-now or send to P.O. Box 2208, Anniston, AL 36202.
