Thelma Lometa Sexton, beloved daughter, sister, wife and friend passed away peacefully on Thursday July 2, 2020, at a care facility in Santa Maria.

Known better as just “Sister,” Thelma Lometa McFarland was born on July 15, 1922 in Butler, Okla. She was the third child of Quintus Arthur McFarland and Eva Mae (Wilbanks) McFarland. The McFarland siblings consist of Arthur Quintus, Kenneth Albert, Thelma Lometa, Ivan Cleo, and she is survived by her younger sister Shirley Lou Rehder of Santa Maria.

Thelma met her loving husband Allen Sexton, a World War II veteran, when she was in high school and married him on Nov. 23, 1941. The two were married for 56 years. Thelma and Allen never had children of their own, but they fostered and helped raise several children.

Thelma was a lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star. The tenets of the order are; Fidelity, Constancy, Loyalty, Faith and Love.

In her life, Thelma was a rancher, herded cattle, roped calves, and was an accomplished barrel racer in which she won many awards. She helped build the B17 and P51 during World War II and was compared to Rosie the Riveter.

She was a strong, hardworking, compassionate woman who lived life to the fullest. Her husband Allen coined the nick name “Sarge” for Thelma as she had to be in charge.

She was an amazing storyteller who could captivate people with her real life adventures. Thelma always made the best of every situation as was demonstrated by her coping with deteriorating eyesight for the last 20 years of her life, which caused her to move to Santa Maria to live with her sister Shirley.

To celebrate her life there was a service at Dudley Hoffman in Santa Maria on July 9. She then made one final trip to Malta, Idaho, where she was buried next to her love, Allen. As a First Baptist member and an avid bible reader, Thelma always took comfort in the Lord’s Prayer.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”

To leave a condolence for the family, visit www.dudleyhoffmanmortuary.com.