Obituary of Treca LaVon Hamlin

Treca LaVon Hudgins Hamiln (1936-2024)

The beautiful Treca LaVon Hudgins Hamlin woke up with Jesus on Sunday, October 20, 2024. She was born to Lonnie Arthur (L.A. Bus) Hudgins and Edith Hilda Marchant Hudgins on March 14, 1936, in the little town she has always loved, Sapulpa, OK. Treca attended Lone Star School back when it was just a little one room schoolhouse and later went on to attend Allen Elementary and Woodlawn Elementary. She then went to Jefferson Jr High and later graduated from Sapulpa High School with the class of 1954. 

Treca loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and loved to tell others of the wonderful things He had done in her life. In a letter she wrote back in 1998, she recalled how she didn’t have an opportunity to go to church much as a young child, but when she did, she loved going and getting the picture of Jesus and the short, printed Bible stories. She also loved to listen to Children’s Hour radio programming. This is where she would hear scriptures and learn to love the Lord. Once she was in High School, she and her group of friends would dress up in their Sunday best and walk to Sapulpa’s First Baptist Church every single Sunday, without fail. It was there that she professed her faith publicly, was baptized and where she held her membership until her passing. 

Despite a few short relocations and moves in her early adult life, Treca lived and served the majority of her days in Sapulpa. As a teenager, she trained to be a nurse at a dr’s office in town and worked at Bayouth’s Clothing Store. Later in her adult life she worked 23 years as a secretary for Lone Star School. She was well known in the community and was on the Sapulpa Main Street Board of Directors for many, many years. She was a social butterfly and was always hosting groups of friends and community members. To know her was to love her, she was loved by so many. Especially her family. 

Treca married the love of her life, Jimmie Dale Hamlin, on May 28, 1954. He preceded her in death in 1998. They are survived by their two children, Micheal Dale Hamlin (married to Judy Hamlin) and Kathryn LaVon Hamlin Chambers (married to Bill Chambers), as well as their four grandchildren and their spouses, Justin Hamlin (married to Jill Hamlin), Audrey Chambers Roach (married to Josh Roach), Martha Chambers, and Molly Chambers Hurst (married to Anthony Hurst), their six great-grandchildren: Allie, Kylee, Zeddy and Tobey Roach and Rylee and Ryan Hurst, all who will miss her beautiful smile and love and hugs very dearly. Treca is also survived by her older brother Scott Hudgins and his family. 

Treca’s life was full of so much love and joy and full of too many accomplishments and friendships to mention. Through good times and bad, times of little and times of plenty, and times of health and times of sickness, Treca leaned on the Lord. The closing paragraph is from a letter she wrote 2 weeks after the passing of the love of her life, Jim, in 1998. She wrote it as an encouragement for herself and her family during their time of grief. It is very fitting to hear her own words of encouragement as we celebrate her life and legacy and mourn the loss of her life here on earth with those who loved her and who she loved. 

“God has shown me how important it is to call upon Him and remember to pray at all times. God has given me the opportunity to see my husband, children and grandchildren (adding now her great-grandchildren) saved and to see them serving the Lord. I am so thankful that our family had many happy times and a good relationship with each other. I must praise God for the many years that Jim and I shared together which has many precious memories. I know and have the assurance that Jim is with God, and I try to remember that it is our loss here on Earth, but it is Heaven’s gain. As you know, going through the time of grief isn't easy for me or my family. But God has given us His love, strength, courage, and ever-present help during our sorrow and Christian friends to continue to pray for us. ‘The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.’ Isaiah 60:20b”