Mama June’s Husband Justin Stroud Was Family’s ‘Biggest Rock’ amid Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s Illness (Exclusive)

Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s family had someone to keep them strong during her difficult health journey.

Cardwell is the eldest daughter of reality TV star Mama June Shannon and died on Saturday at the age of 29. Shannon, 44, shared the news in an emotional post on Instagram, saying she had been “fighting hard” after being diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal cancer in January.

While attending Cardwell’s funeral Wednesday, Cardwell’s sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, told PEOPLE — who were invited to a private service — that Shannon’s husband, Justin Stroud, was their family’s “biggest rock” during Cardwell’s health journey.

Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.

Anna Cardwell/Instagram

Anne ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s loved ones gathered to celebrate her life at an emotional funeral service

Shannon and Straud tied the knot in a courthouse wedding on March 23, 2022, and said “I do” for the second time last February with friends and family — including Shannon’s other two daughters: Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon — present.

Efrid told PEOPLE that Stroud “carried 90% of the weight” during the difficult period when Cardwell was in the hospital and helped her family by providing medication, running errands and being there “for her and everyone else.”

With his help, Efrid said Shannon was able to focus on being a mom and spending time with Cardwell in her final days.

“Since he’s not blood, it was even more amazing how he really just appeared and [showed us] what a good person he is,” Efird said.

Thompson, 18, also agreed with Efird that Stroud was a big help, telling PEOPLE, “I mean, he’s not even blood, but he’s been doing everything.”

Mom June Shannon with Justin Stroud and daughters Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell and Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson.

Lauryn Efird/ Instagram

Mama June’s daughter Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell marries boyfriend Eldridge Toney after cancer diagnosis

In a TikTok video on Monday, Shannon opened up about how things have felt different in her home since Cardwell’s death.

“It’s so quiet in here, the machines aren’t running. She’s not sitting here watching cooking shows and it’s just so quiet. The chair she was in, you know, nobody’s sitting in it right now because she has a blanket and a pillow that she used and that’s where she passed away “, she said.

The Mama June: A family in crisis The star noted that she didn’t know “how to describe the pain” and told her followers: “I know the look is hot chaos, but my mind is so emotionally and mentally troubled right now.”

Cardwell was mom to two daughters – Kaitlyn Elizabeth, 11, and Kylee Madison, 8 (whom she welcomed with ex-husband Michael Cardwell). According to a marriage certificate obtained by PEOPLE, she quietly married Eldridge Toney in March.

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During the funeral service, guests shared their fondest memories of Cardwell and agreed that “she was brave until the last moment.” A friend she met working at Walmart said Cardwell was always “full of life” and did whatever she wanted because she didn’t care what people thought.

When Efird spoke, she emphasized how much Cardwell loved her two daughters, her husband and cooking chicken and dumplings with biscuits and spaghetti for everyone. She became emotional as she questioned how their family was moving on after her death.

Those same sentiments were echoed in the funeral service program, which included a song titled “Broken Chain.” The song detailed a family’s grief after the death of a loved one, but noted how the “family chain” will “reconnect” in the future as “God calls us one by one.”

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Source: HIS Education