By Cara Cowan Watts | Cherokee 411
November 17, 1930 – May 28, 2026
TUTTLE OK
Cherokee Nation Citizen
Betty Jean (Sasser) Thomas, 95, of Tuttle, died Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Tuttle, Oklahoma. The daughter of Ervin Abraham Sasser and Katie Belle (Powell) Sasser, she was born November 17, 1930, in Keota, Oklahoma.
Betty was a graduate of Keota High School and also spent part of her childhood in Sallisaw. Betty married James “Jim” Thomas on April 6, 1953, in Van Buren, Arkansas and were married for 60 years before his passing. Betty dedicated more than three decades of her life to nursing, beginning her career in 1951 after attending nursing school in Fort Smith. She served as a surgical nurse at Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City from 1953 to 1976 before continuing her career at South Community Hospital from 1977 until 1992. She was part of the medical team involved in Oklahoma’s first heart transplant surgery — a groundbreaking 16-hour procedure involving 10 doctors.
Known for her spunky spirit, cheerful personality, and quick sense of humor, she rarely slowed down. She drove until the age of 94 and spent many years proudly cruising around in her beloved red 1968 Ford Ranch Wagon. Nicknamed “Roadrunner,” she spent years driving her five boys wherever they needed to go, always keeping up with busy schedules and adventures. She loved books, quilting, and sewing, and was a talented seamstress whose creativity and warmth touched everyone around her. She will be remembered by all who knew and loved her.
