lit a candle 3d agoMy dad rang me this morning from Floyd County to tell me, I hadn't heard the name in years but he said she was Shane's mother, used to wave at him on the porch in Wayland. Strange getting that kind of news on a Tuesday morning in Minnesota.
Their story
Patricia Ann Sexton was a resident of Wayland, Kentucky, who died on October 24, 2026 at the age of 66. She was not a public figure in the way that term is usually used on this site: she did not hold public office, perform, publish, or otherwise build a national…
Patricia Ann Sexton was a resident of Wayland, Kentucky, who died on October 24, 2026 at the age of 66. She was not a public figure in the way that term is usually used on this site: she did not hold public office, perform, publish, or otherwise build a national profile. Her death became known through a funeral home obituary rather than through news coverage, and this page exists because her name, searched online, is often confused with that of the American poet Anne Sexton (1928 to 1974), a completely different person. This page is written to give an honest, accurate account of the Patricia Ann Sexton who died in 2026, based on the obituary published by her family.
She was born on February 4, 1960 in Perry County, Kentucky, the daughter of James Smith and Freda Fugate Smith, both of whom preceded her in death. She grew up and spent her life in the coalfield communities of eastern Kentucky, ultimately living in Wayland, a small town in Floyd County. She was the wife of James Orville Sexton, who died before her. No detailed public record of her working life, education, or community involvement has been published, and this page does not speculate beyond what her family has made public.
What is documented is her family. She was survived by three children, Shane Everage, Kimberly Hughes and Joanna Blackburn, along with grandchildren Jensen Everage, M'Kayla Francis, Tyler Blackburn and Johnathan Blackburn, a number of great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. She had already lost three siblings, Jimmy Smith, Brenda Joyce Napier and Neva Ratliff, before her own death. Her family's tribute described her simply as someone who would be missed by all who knew and loved her.
Patricia Ann Sexton died on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at the Greg and Noreen Hospice Care Center in Hazard, Kentucky. Her family has not made public the specific illness or cause that led to her hospice care, and no cause of death has been publicly confirmed. Her passing was announced through an obituary placed by Nelson Frazier Funeral Home in Martin, Kentucky, which also set out the arrangements for visitation, services and burial.
Because Patricia Ann Sexton lived a private life, there is no wider public reaction, tribute from notable figures, or media retrospective to report. The grief that followed her death belongs to her family and community in Floyd and Perry counties, Kentucky, and is reflected in the funeral home's obituary and guestbook rather than in national coverage.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy | Obituary.
