Mama June Shannon and her family gathered together on Wednesday to attend the funeral of Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, four days after she died of cancer at the age of 29, PEOPLE reported. The reality star and her loved ones reportedly held the public visitation and private service at the Williams-White Columns Funeral Home in Gordon, GA and greeted guests in a small room, where cellphones were prohibited.
There was a photo of Anna wearing a pink shirt inside the room, according to PEOPLE, and a slideshow of family photos was being shown. Some of them were from Mama June’s wedding to Justin Stroud.
Anna’s sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird also told the outlet that the family is doing the best they can and although Anna’s favorite singer, Cooper Alan, wasn’t able to attend the funeral, he still made a special video sad event. She also said that Justin was “the biggest rock” of the family, especially when Anna was in hospice, and he “carried 90% of the weight.” He provided medicine, ran errands and was there for Mama June “and everybody else.”
“Because he’s not blood, it was even that much more amazing how he really just stepped up and [showed us] what a good person he is,” Lauryn said.
Anna’s other sister, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson also told PEOPLE that her sister’s death felt “surreal” and she was “still processing.” She agreed with Lauryn about Justin. “I mean, he’s not even blood but he was doing everything,” she shared.
The outlet further reported that during the service, guests shared their favorite memories of Anna and agreed that she “had spunk until the very last moment.” Lauryn also spoke about how much the late mom loved her daughters, her husband Eldrige Toney, and cooking meals like chicken and dumplings and spaghetti.
Another highlight from the service included many of Anna’s loved ones doing the “Tina dance”, which was a move from Bob’s Burgers character Tina Belcher that Anna loved. At one point, Mama June encouraged the attendees to stand up and join them in the dance.
Mama June announced Anna’s death in a touching video on Sunday. She revealed she and other family members were with her when she passed on and has also kept fans updated on the service details.
