Lela Lea Patton was born on April 24, 1926, in Cushing, Oklahoma to John Bud and Caroline Lina Patton. Services have been entrusted to Palmer Marler Funeral Home.
Lela was the youngest of eight children. Her family lived on a small farm that provided them with most of their food and her father and brothers worked in the oilfields. Lela never received an education past grammar school but that never stopped her from meeting challenges throughout her live and achieving just about anything she set her mind to doing. She went to work at a young age at the Tulsa Douglas Aircraft Plant where thousands of women worked during World War II assembling B24’s and A26 bombers. Two of her older sisters worked there and encouraged Lela to do the same. These women were nicknamed “Rosie the Riveters” and took their jobs very seriously producing 12 bombers per day Lela was very small in stature and was often asked to “buck rivets” in some very tight spaces on the aircraft.
Lela met her husband William Sims when she journeyed to Fort Hood, Texas to see one of her brothers that was stationed there. William (Bill) Sims was a hand-to-hand combat instructor at Fort Hood and Lela soon caught his eye. William and Lela were united in marriage on November 8th ,1944 and remained together until his death in 1992. They lived in several areas before finally settling in Cushing, OK. One son, Daniel Clyde Sims was born from this union on August 13th , 1950.
Lela passed from this life to be with her Lord and Savior on July 13, 2022, while hospitalized at a Tulsa Hospital.
Lela was preceded in death by her husband William in 1992 and also by her only son, Daniel in 2017. She was also preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings. Lela is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, most of whom live out of state.
Lela loved to attend church anywhere and everywhere and taught several bible studies. She was a gifted painter, loved to sew, and spent many hours making her garden the very best in town. Lela was a very spunky, lively, and outgoing lady with a lot to give to all those around her. She will be greatly missed by all.
Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at Palmer Marler Funeral Home Chapel in Cushing, Oklahoma.
