Paul Wilson Sexton

In Loving Memory of Paul Wilson Sexton
1942 - 2025
With hearts both heavy and grateful, we celebrate the extraordinary life of Paul Wilson Sexton-a gentle giant of kindness, wisdom, and wit-who passed peacefully from this life and into eternity, leaving behind a legacy embroidered with love, intellect, laughter, and faith. He was a husband, father, grandfather, mentor, storyteller, teacher, and disciple-a man of depth, humor, and rare goodness, whose presence was a gift to all who knew him.
Paul was born on August 28, 1942, in Dallas, Texas, to Maxey Wilson Sexton and Helen Virginia McLain-Sexton, who raised him in the heart of Dallas. From an early age, Paul's bright spirit and exceptional mind began to shine. He graduated in 1960 from W.W. Samuell High School in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood, where he was a standout athlete who lettered in multiple sports, including football and baseball. But even beyond the field, young Paul carried within him a hunger for knowledge. Long before it was fashionable, he began studying Spanish in junior high school, a language that would become one of his lifelong loves and the foundation of a brilliant career.
Paul initially pursued pharmacology at Arlington State College, but the call of language and culture drew him elsewhere. He transferred to East Texas State University-now Texas A&M at Commerce-where he earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish. With diploma in hand and purpose in his heart, Paul accepted a teaching position at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. There, as a young Spanish teacher in West Texas, he kindled the minds of his students with language, compassion, and an unmistakable spark. He later returned to Dallas, teaching at Sunset High School, before embarking on advanced studies that would take him across the globe and deeper into the richness of language, culture, and education.
During the 1965–66 school year, Paul studied at the University of the Americas in Mexico City, deepening his linguistic expertise and immersing himself in Latin American culture. He returned to Texas and earned not one, but two master's degrees-from Southern Methodist University in both Spanish and English. Paul's unquenchable thirst for knowledge then led him to doctoral studies at Ohio State University in 1975–76. Even as a student, he served as an instructor, teaching Spanish at the university level at SMU and, later, at Tarrant County Junior College in Fort Worth.
But Paul's journey was not limited to academia alone. In 1972–73, he traveled to Bergamo, Italy, where he studied the Montessori method at the International Montessori Training Center. This experience profoundly influenced his career, and he would go on to direct several Montessori schools with the same care and dedication he gave to all he loved. He eventually joined Tarrant County Junior College full-time as a Spanish professor, where he became a beloved and admired instructor to countless students over the years.
Intellectually gifted and deeply curious, Paul had an uncanny ability with words and language. He was a crossword puzzle enthusiast-so skilled that his family considered him a true expert. His children lovingly nicknamed him "Logos," a reflection of his endless passion for words, meanings, and ideas. Each day, he would gift his children a new vocabulary word to learn-not just to educate, but to encourage them to marvel at the world. This small but meaningful ritual was a reflection of his larger-than-life role in their world: Paul was, quite simply, the perfect father. He was the kind of father who made up silly songs-each one lovingly crafted just for his children. He told the most imaginative bedtime stories, always made up on the spot, always full of wonder.
His love extended effortlessly to his grandchildren, whom he adored and doted on with boundless affection. He gave them the same gift he gave the world: his time, his warmth, and his stories.
Paul was also a gifted author. He wrote a series of novels about Bandera, Texas-works of fiction that evoked the spirit of his own youth and the land he loved. "Bandera" means "flag" in Spanish, and the symbolism was not lost on Paul. His stories were a banner of memory, imagination, and place-woven with the colors of Texas, his childhood, and the heart of a storyteller.
Paul's life took a most meaningful turn when he met the love of his life, Susan Brown Sexton. Their story began on June 8, 1986, in a classroom at the Dallas Montessori Training Center, where Paul was an instructor and Susan a bright student sent by Fort Worth ISD. She was the first-and only-student who truly appreciated Paul's infamous puns, laughing freely at jokes others only puzzled over. It was the first of many shared laughs.
On the very last day of class in mid-August 1986-Paul casually asked Susan what her summer plans were. She replied she'd be in Florida. Without missing a beat, he said he would be too. What she didn't know was that his sister, a flight attendant, had secured him a buddy pass so he could fly down to see her. When she picked him up from the Tampa airport, the spark was undeniable. They spent a weekend of laughter, exploring, and joy-playing a verbal game where he'd ask, "What would it take for you to do this?" and laugh along the way.
By October of that same year, they were engaged. On June 13, 1987, Paul and Susan were married, beginning a life together that would be filled with purpose, partnership, and profound love. Paul joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1981, a quiet but significant step in his life. In time, Susan joined Paul in his faith, and on September 13, 1997, just over ten years after their wedding, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Dallas Texas Temple.
Together, Paul and Susan served the church from December 2009 to June 2011 in the city of Coquimbo, part of the Viña Del Mar mission. They also served a second mission in Oakland, California, in 2017. Paul's faith was not something he wore outwardly, but lived inwardly: quiet, constant, and Christlike. He was a man of humility, service, and deep compassion-carrying the character of Christ in all that he did.
He loved the outdoors, first camping in tents, then "graduating" to a camper. He loved to travel, to explore, to teach, to learn, to laugh. He was, at his core, a man who made life beautiful for those around him.
His children remember him with adoration and deep affection. His daughter Shelly shared:
"One of my favorite memories of Daddy is how he always made us feel so loved and important when we came over. He would stop whatever he was doing, smile his big smile, hug us with the biggest hugs, and insist we come sit and talk with him in the living room. He always made us feel like we were his number one priority-nothing else mattered except who was with him in that moment."
His daughter Janey remembered:
"When I was in middle school, Daddy wanted to know where my new school was. This was pre-GPS, and I had no sense of direction. The only way I knew was to follow the bus route, turning down every side street. I think we got close, but we never actually made it to the school. But we didn't care. We had the best time together-laughing, exploring, and turning what could've been frustrating into something I'll cherish forever. That's just who Daddy was-always up for the ride, making the most of every moment, turning everything into a memory worth holding onto. Daddy, if you're listening-I love you so much, and I miss you terribly."
Paul is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years, Susan Brown Sexton; his daughter Shelly Kathryn Sullivan and her husband Lewis; his son James Anthony Sexton and his wife Krista; his daughter Juliet Ann Pumphrey and her husband Blake; his daughter Janey Carlisle Mendoza and her husband Manuel; and his daughter Virginia Diane Dexter and her husband John. He is also survived by 17 adoring grandchildren, 7 precious great-grandchildren, and his beloved sister, Janey Kathryn Hampton.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Maxey and Helen Sexton, his brother Charles Royal Sexton, and his brother-in-law Richard Hampton.
Paul will have a family visitation Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 10:00 AM, with a memorial service @ 11:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 1010 Timberoaks Drive Azle, TX 76020. Later that afternoon, a graveside service to honor and celebrate the remarkable life of Paul Wilson Sexton will be held @ 2:00 PM at Azleland Cemetery in Azle, Texas. Family and friends are invited to gather in remembrance of a life filled with gentleness, brilliance, and deep devotion.
To say that Paul Sexton was beloved feels somehow inadequate. He was cherished. Revered. Adored. He lived a life steeped in meaning, layered with experience, and poured out in service to his family, his faith, and his students. To know him was to learn, to smile, and to feel seen. He gave so much and asked for so little. He was truly one of the most gentle, kind souls to ever walk this earth.
And so, as we bid farewell to this beautiful man-husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher, and friend-we hold onto the lessons he left us. We hold onto the warmth, the humor, the brilliance, and the example.
As Paul always said:
"Brush your teeth and say your prayers-and nothing will ever go permanently wrong."
May his words echo in our hearts, and may his soul rest in the peace of a life well-lived, and well-loved.
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