Melva Jo Sexton

Melva Jo (Dorn) Sexton, 85, of Oklahoma City passed away peacefully on November 30, 2025. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 11, 1940, she was the first daughter of Melvin Raymond Dorn, a police officer, and Josephine LaVonne (Powell) Dorn, a department store employee. Melva was born a "Husker" but was a true "Sooner" at heart.
In 1958, Melva came to Bethany, Oklahoma where she enrolled at Bethany Nazarene College and went on to receive a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Development. While attending college she met the love of her life, Mitchell Wayne Sexton. They married on August 4, 1961, in Lincoln, Nebraska. They resided in Bethany, Oklahoma until they moved to Oklahoma City in 1985. Their love for each other was an example of what a marriage should be, and it lasted for 64 years.
Melva was a school teacher for 37 years and taught 1st grade for all those years. She started her teaching career in Oklahoma City Schools at Mark Twain Elementary for 2 years and then moved to the Putnam City School District where she taught for 35 years. She taught approximately 1,500 children in 1st grade. During her career she taught many students, then taught those students' children, and even had some 3rd generation students. At the beginning of the school year, many people would call the school and request their child to be in Mrs. Sexton's room. She was awarded "Teacher of the Year" by her peers two times during her career.
After her retirement in 1997, she and Mitch loved traveling. Their adventures took them all across the United States, and then from Hawaii to Hong Kong, from Alaska to Belize and everywhere in between. They loved traveling to Florida to visit their daughter and grandchildren even if it was just for a weekend to watch a sporting event or a recital that one of the grandchildren were a part of. She also loved to travel the United States to watch her grandson play ice hockey.
Mitch and Melva were long-time members of Lake Overholser Church of the Nazarene and then moved to Bethany First Church. She was a devoted Nazarene and loved her Lord with a passion that was unshakeable. She loved to tell anyone who would listen about her faith and then encourage them to find the Lord as their Savior.
She had two groups of people who were very dear to her heart. The "Bridge Girls" and the "Surrey Golf Girls." She enjoyed these two groups of women dearly and often planned her days, weeks, and even months around these groups of ladies.
Melva's greatest joy was her family. She told everyone about her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and kept everyone informed of their latest accomplishments.
Melva was preceded in death by her parents, Melvin Dorn and Josephine Dorn.
She is survived by her husband, Mitchell Sexton; her daughter, Michelle Watkins (Ray), of Jacksonville, Florida; her son, Mark Sexton (Barb) of Cashion, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Jessica Goddard (Brandon) of Yulee, Florida, Paige Vickers (Matt) of Yulee, Florida, Luke Watkins (Mikayla) of Saint Cloud, Florida, Emily Klaus (Jayden) of Yukon, Oklahoma, Patrick Sexton of Stillwater, Oklahoma; and great-grandchildren, Gideon Watkins and Remington Watkins, both of Saint Cloud, Florida, and Berkely Klause of Yukon, Oklahoma.
Melva lived her life by her favorite Bible verse, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." She left a lasting legacy of love, compassion and faith, and was truly a bright light in this world.
Viewing at Mercer-Adams is Friday, 1-8pm with family present from 4-6pm. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 6, 10:00am, at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene. The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed on this obituary page.
If you wish to honor Melva in a way other than flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the American Diabetes Association Oklahoma at ADAOK@diabetes.org.