Ethel was born at Mataura on the 2 July 1892. She was the youngest child of Rosina and James.
As a young person, Ethel attended Croydon Siding, Gore Main and Mandeville Schools in 1897, Gore Main School in 1898 and 1902.
She married Silas Sexton 25 November 1914 at Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
| Name | Born | Married | Children | Died | Comments |
| Hazel Grace | 1915 | – | – | 1974 | – |
| John Stanley | 1919 | 1947 | 4 | 1990 | Peters |
Silas passed in 1951 and was cremated and his ashes buried in Andersons Bay Cemetery in the family plot.
Ethel passed away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand on the 2 October 1977. Her remains were cremated and given back to the undertaker. There is no official final resting place for Ethel.