Tamela G. (Walden) Winters passed peacefully April 14, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after a courageous battle with lung cancer. A Celebration of Life service was held Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the CPN North Reunion Hall on tribal lands (1702 Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee, OK 74801). She will be placed in the Columbarium in a private ceremony after the service, entrusted to the care of Wadley’s Funeral Service.
Tamela was born January 4, 1960, in Harrah, Oklahoma to DeWayne and Julia Ann (Moore) Walden.
Raised in her hometown, she graduated from Harrah High School in 1978 before pursuing studies in journalism at Oscar Rose College, now known as Rose State College. Throughout her life, Tamela embraced a variety of roles, most notably dedicating seventeen years as a phone operator for Southwestern Bell. Upon retirement, she found renewed joy working with the Chickasaw Nation Gaming as a security officer and subsequently as a blackjack dealer—a position she adored, allowing her to “play all day.”
Tamela’s heart found love on three occasions: she first married Bennie “Joe” Cole on August 8, 1988, in Galveston, Texas, and though their paths later diverged amicably, friendship endured. Later, in December 2011, while aboard a cruise in Mexico, she wed William “Bill” Winters. Their union was marked by nearly four years of cherished companionship until Bill’s passing in 2015. A while after losing Bill, she and Stan Griggs started their life together, celebrating 8 years.
A woman of vibrant spirit and boundless energy, Tamela delighted in simple pleasures—immersing herself in horror films with popcorn in hand, caring lovingly for her two cherished granddogs, Jasper and Clyde, and indulging in the thrill of casino slot machines. She embraced travel and cruising, took pride in her daily five-mile neighborhood walks, and found solace near water, whether boating, fishing, or soaking up the sun’s warmth in pursuit of “ray tones.”
A proud member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Tamela treasured her heritage and, above all, her role as a devoted mother to her daughter, lovingly known as “Doctor Ash,” a Clinical Psychologist PhD. Tamela will be remembered for her organization, vivacity, strong work ethic, and infectious enthusiasm—an effervescent soul who celebrated every triumph, great or small.
Tamela was preceded in death by her parents, DeWayne and Julia Walden; her husband, Bill Winters; her maternal grandparents, Jessie and Ray Moore; her aunts, Evelyn Hopcus, Rosa Reed and Marilyn Clark; her uncles, Eddie Moore, Harold “Tickey” Moore, Hub Reed and Roy Capps; her nephew, Bryan Dale Elliott; and her cousins, Kimberly (Capps) Brown, Donnie Clark and Gary Hopcus Sr.
Survivors include her daughter, Ashley Cole and husband, Andrew Hicks; her partner, Stan Griggs; her sisters, Debra Goodenough and husband, Mike Blankenship, Cindy Walden and wife, Kathy Baker, and Sherri “Cookie” Lane; her brother, James Walden; her first husband, Bennie “Joe” Cole; her stepsons, Corey Cole and Jason Cole and wife, Jean; her nieces, Christine Troxel and husband, Don, Jessica Goodenough and husband, James McCormick, Stacy Elliott and Megan Coker; her nephew, Eric Hilburn and husband, Chad; her aunt, Linda (Moore) Capps and Sue Moore; her great-nieces and nephews, Sarah and Jake Rowland, Duncan Hoffman, Madeline Goodenough McCormick, Lincoln Goodenough McCormick, Julie Coker and Lily Coker; her cousins, Jenna (Reed) Minyard and husband, Richard, Amy (Reed) Davis and husband, Anthony, Brian Capps and wife, Staci, and Aaron Capps and wife, Melissa; and numerous other relatives and friends.