Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efird Gushes About Mama June’s Husband Justin Stroud for Being ‘Biggest Rock’

Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird gushed about Mama June’s husband, Justin Stroud, for being the “biggest rock” as the family grieved over the death of Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.

The TLC personality, 23, explained that Justin “carried 90% of the weight” during the difficult time in a conversation with People published on Wednesday, December 13. His support, which was especially emphasized while Anna was still in hospice care, allowed Mama June, 44, to focus on spending time and later mourning her daughter. Justin assisted with providing medicine, running errands and being there “for her 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 told the publication. Meanwhile, her sister Alana “Honey Boo Boo Thompson echoed her sentiment, adding, “I mean, he’s not even blood but he was doing everything.”

Anna died on December 9 at 29 years old after a 10-month-long battle with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma. The mom of two — who was first diagnosed in January — was surrounded by family, which included June, Alana, her daughters, Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, 8, and her husband, Eldridge Toney.

Relations hadn’t always been so smooth with Mama June’s husband — whom Mama June eloped with without any of her family present — in March 2022. The mom of four later admitted that her daughters were “at first standoffish” toward her new man after seeing her get into a new relationship soon after her 2019 breakup from Geno Doak.

“Me being in a toxic situation and me being in drug addiction, and then getting out of that relationship, even though I got clean in the relationship,” Shannon told The U.S. Sun in May. “Then fast forward to six months later, almost eight months later, getting into this new relationship, that was jarring for them at first.”

Things seemingly were headed on the right track after the couple’s second wedding which happened on February 18. Their “intimate” and “glamorous” wedding happened in Panama City, Florida, and led to a reunion with Shannon and all four of her daughters.

“This was the first time the family had all been together since 2014,” Shannon told People at the time. “So it was really special to get married in a place where my family and I have had so many memories!”