Jo Ann Philomena Aniol

Jo Ann Copp Aniol passed away very peacefully at home in New Braunfels on May 3, 2019 with her extended family right next to her. She was 77. Along with her husband, Larry Aniol, Jo Ann had served as owner and administrator of River Gardens for decades. A skilled businesswoman, Jo Ann deeply appreciated her opportunities to provide a safe and rewarding home for intellectually disabled adults. She supported, guided, and encouraged hundreds of staff who cared for the residents over the years.

Jo Ann was born on March 3, 1942 in San Antonio and grew up there with her mother, two sisters, and two brothers. She attended Blessed Sacrament High School and Incarnate Word College, and earned her M.Ed. from the University of Missouri. Jo Ann was a master seamstress, loved to garden, paint, and design, and was a fantastic cook. Along with caring for two little girls under age 5, Jo Ann remodeled and prepared a house with historical significance in San Antonio which became the initial equity investment for River Gardens.

She had an indomitable spirit, and though her background was not in business, she and Larry worked tirelessly to obtain the zoning and funding to build River Gardens, and then to manage the day to day financial and administrative details of running the large facility. With her teaching degree and the Grace of God, Jo Ann successfully administered budgets for almost 30 years at River Gardens. She developed a proven reputation to multitask and manage high-priority projects and develop solutions to challenging business problems. Jo Ann also loved music and served as president of the Mid-Texas Symphony.

Our dear Jo Ann was intelligent, meditative, wise, and most of all, profoundly loving and dedicated to her family and friends. She was voted most likely to succeed in high school not because she was flashy, but because she was thoughtful, emotionally present, and very spiritual. When those she loved were in crisis, Jo Ann was a huge support both emotionally and financially. We enjoyed her sense of humor and appreciated her kindness as a mentor and teacher.

Jo Ann will be greatly missed by friends and family, most especially by her husband of 51 years, Larry Aniol, daughters and sons in law Karen and Tom Ballenger of New Braunfels, and Julie and Tim Turner of Magnolia, grandchildren Natalie and Jacob Ballenger and Zachary and Gabriel Turner, sisters Maggie Gawelko and husband Jack of Boerne and Marie Forbes of Spring, and brother Tony Copp and wife Kay of Dallas.

Public visitation and rosary will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 from 6pm to 8pm at Zoeller Funeral Home. The rosary will begin at 6:30pm. The funeral mass will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 10am at the Mission of Divine Mercy, followed by internment at Holy Cross Cemetery. The Mission of Divine Mercy is located at 1531 Indian Chief Trail, New Braunfels, TX 78132. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mission of Divine Mercy (www.MissionOfDivineMercy.org or 830 302-2238).