Sadie Darlene Cumings

Sadie Darlene Cumings passed away peacefully on May 4, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of faith, love, and devotion to family.

A celebration of Darlene’s life will be held on Monday, May 11, at the Forest Park Southwest Cemetery Chapel, located at 9040 FM 359, Richmond, TX 77406. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the service at 10:30 a.m., with the graveside service at 11:45 a.m. The complex is located north of the Foster community between Richmond and Fulshear. For additional information, please call (281) 394-0067.

Darlene was born on December 23, 1934, in Cortez, Colorado, to Horace Levi Baker and Leona Harmony Gantz Baker. She was the fourth of five children and the only one born in a hospital. Her early childhood took place during the Great Depression, and she often recalled riding horseback with her siblings to one-room schoolhouses in rural southwestern Colorado.

As her family moved in search of a better life, Darlene and her younger sister, Nadene, attended three high schools in three different states. Through determination and hard work, she enrolled at Western Colorado University (formerly Western State College) in Gunnison, Colorado, where she worked part-time and, in just three years, became the first in her family to earn a college degree. She later earned her Master’s degree in Education from Texas A&M University in 1966 and was the first woman to receive a specialization in Physical Education.

She began her career as a flight attendant before following her calling into education as an elementary school teacher. She taught in the Wichita Falls, Spring Branch, and College Station school districts.

In 1980, she married Tim Cumings. The couple later settled in Richmond, Texas, where Darlene continued her career with Lamar Consolidated ISD, completing her years of public-school service there. She later served in an administrative role at Living Water Christian School in Rosenberg and as a family counselor in the community.

Preceding Darlene in death were her parents and her brothers, Charles Baker and Kenneth Baker.

She is survived by her husband, Tim Cumings of Richmond, Texas; her brother, Donald Baker of Grassy Plain, British Columbia, Canada; her sister, Nadene Hamilton of Cortez, Colorado; and her children: Kim Wilbanks and husband Robert Wilbanks, Stan Priesmeyer and wife Jane Priesmeyer, and Kris Hopson.

Darlene was a proud grandmother to Jennifer Marshall and husband Matt Marshall, Kenneth Priesmeyer and wife Makayla Priesmeyer, Marissa McQuitty and husband Bobby McQuitty, Tyler Burks and wife Kortni Burks, and Kamryn McBrayer and husband Matthew McBrayer. She was also a loving great-grandmother to Adelyn and Caleb Marshall, Calvin McQuitty, Kinsley Hathcock, Lincoln Priesmeyer, and Zayden, Richard, and Charlotte Burks. She is also survived by many other cherished family members and dear friends.

Darlene showed enduring, unconditional love for her family in countless ways. No matter the distance, she remained closely connected to those she loved and always made sure they knew how deeply they were cared for.

Her faith in Jesus was the foundation of her life. It was not something she kept to herself—it shaped how she lived, loved, and cared for others. She believed that through Christ we are made in His image, deeply loved, and invited into a personal relationship with Him.

Her family finds comfort in knowing that today she is in heaven—whole, joyful, and worshipping the One she loved so deeply.

If there is one message Darlene would want to leave behind, it is this: to know Jesus personally. Not just to know about Him, but to truly know Him—because she believed that is where real love, peace, and lasting hope are found.