Wilma Marie Martin Sexton

Wilma Marie Martin Sexton, a seventh-generation Texan, passed away April 11, 2024, at the age of 81 in Glen Rose, Texas. She was born in Lufkin, Texas, on March 9, 1943, to Lloyd C. and Wilma Lee Shepard Martin. When she was 9 years old, the family moved to Memphis, Texas, where she enjoyed the early springtime of her life, graduated high school and was married to Jim Sexton in 1960. The newlyweds moved to Canyon, Texas, where Jim was a student at West Texas State College. Wilma worked at an Amarillo, Texas bank and took college courses from time to time. In 1965, Jim graduated and commenced a bank examination career, and the couple moved to Fort Worth,Texas, their first post of duty. It was in Fort Worth that their first daughter, Sheryl, was born in 1969. Their second daughter, Carole, was born in Richardson, Texas in 1971. Over the following years, the family moved to Germantown, Tenn., Cherry Hill, N.J., Herndon, Va. and Georgetown, Texas. Wilma and Jim then returned to Virginia for a brief period and, finally, to retirement in Pecan Plantation in Granbury, Texas in 2000.

Wilma was a volunteer at many of the girls’ school functions, from acting as chaperone to working in the school library. She was a surrogate mother to many of her daughters’ friends, always providing them with an attentive ear in what one friend from the teenage years recently remembered as “a peaceful and safe place.” Many neighbors’ kids called her “Mom.”In Georgetown, she was, for several years, Head of Consignment at Handcrafts Unlimited, a local non-profit, where artisans consign their creations for sale. She not only consigned items; she was one of the artisans’ best customers.

In retirement, there were many fun evenings of bridge and 42 with friends. Bank consulting work took them to nearly every state and a few foreign countries. In the summer, they escaped the heat with extended vacations in Colorado, Vermont or in the Bitterroots of Montana.

Wilma loved God, and she loved her family (always including the family’s animals) and her friends from the various places and phases comprising her life. Her high principles, strong character and Texas accent were original equipment, and they never changed. She loved just being herself. She found perfect contentment with a cane pole, a can of worms, a quiet pond and a snack in the basket. Her favorite set of wheels was a snappy Chevy Silverado pickup, which folks in the Northeast refused to believe she actually owned and drove. When she first showed up in New Zealand in 1988, motel owners bringing the family’s breakfast and milk for their coffee sometimes asked to stay a while and visit mostly, it seemed, to listen to Wilma talk, which, of course, she was pleased to do.

Thank you to the old and new friends who visited Wilma, sent cards, flowers and otherwise provided comfort to Wilma and her family during her long stay at Glen Rose Nursing and Rehab. And thank you to Rosa, Lola, Dena and other GRNR personnel who loved and tenderly cared for Wilma and whom she loved in return. And thanks to Abel who patiently entertained Wilma’s many ideas for sprucing up her room, also known as “my home.”

Wilma is survived by her husband of 64 years, Jim Sexton; their daughters, Sheryl Sexton and Carole Sexton; brother Malcolm Martin and wife Mary; sister- in-law Anna Hink and husband Ron; many nieces and nephews; and countless friends.

A celebration of Wilma’s life will occur at 1 p.m. May 11, 2024, at Wiley Center, 400 Hwy 377 East, Granbury, Texas. Relatives and friends invited.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in her honor to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Salvation Army of Granbury or a favorite charity.