Sara Mae (Arnold) Letton died peacefully on Feb. 27, 2025, at her home in Big Lagoon, California. Sara was born Dec. 26, 1941, to Gus W. Arnold and Ella Mae (Hugghins) Arnold in Tyler, Texas. She graduated from Robert E Lee High School in Tyler and attended The University of Texas, where she received a bachelor’s degree in education in 1964.
Sara always had a taste for adventure and travel, which led her to San Francisco in the late 1960s where she worked as an elementary school teacher, as an administrative assistant for an entertainment production company and an architecture firm. In San Francisco, Sara met John Letton and after an extended period of travel in the early 1970s, they married in 1974 in Boulder, Colorado, and settled in Weaverville, California, where John opened a law practice and Sara worked as an elementary school teacher. In 1976 their son Ben was born, and in 1979 they welcomed their daughter Kate.
Sara lived in Trinity County for close to three decades before moving to the community of Klamath River with her companion of 30 years, Bud Howerton. In 2013, Sara and Bud moved to the community of Big Lagoon near Trinidad, California, where she resided until her passing. Sara enjoyed traveling, cooking, reading, gardening, bird and whale watching, camping, skiing and teaching others. She most loved to spend time with her partner Bud, her children Ben and Kate, and her grandchildren Jack, Claire, Eli and Sophie. She will be remembered as a dedicated mother and grandmother with a lively spirit, a loving partner and dear friend to many.
She is survived by her son, Ben Letton (Sara), and grandsons Jackson and Eli of South Lake Tahoe, California; her daughter, Kate Parks (Devin) and granddaughters Claire and Sophie, of Sandy, Oregon; her brother Steve Arnold of Tyler, Texas; and partner Bud Howerton, of Big Lagoon.
Sara is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Betty Bolton, of Lubbock, Texas. A celebration of life will be held Memorial Day weekend at Big Lagoon in her honor. Donations can be made in her memory to the National Breast Cancer Foundation at nationalbreastcancer.org.
This article appears in Youngest North Coast Condor Dies of Lead Poisoning.
Dear Kate and Ben and all whose lives were touched by Sara,
It is with a broken heart that I am not with you today to celebrate the life of your mother and grandmother, Sara Letton.
I’m comforted in the wonderful memories that I have of our 50+ years of friendship. I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life until we meet again.
Please give Bud my sympathy too. I’m so happy he and your mom came to Andrew and Meredith’s wedding. We were able to spend time together for couple of days.
All my love,
Karen Wold 💔