Larry Joe Sartore

Larry lived his early childhood years near his extended family in Evansville, Indiana and moved to Birmingham as a young boy with his mother and father. He attended Phillips High School where he met his future wife, Joan. After high school, Larry proudly served his country in the United States Air Force during the Korean War.

Larry spent his entire career in the industrial insulation industry, in the later years focusing on power generation plants. His 50+ year career led his family to Portland, OR for many years, then on to Richmond, VA, and eventually back home to Birmingham. He proudly recalled his memories of working on projects spanning the country including Alaska during the pipeline boom, up and down the eastern seaboard, and Central America.

Travel was a passion of Larry’s, both in the U.S. and abroad. He and his wife, Joan, developed a love for European travel in the 1970’s, and he continued to travel extensively throughout his life well into his early 80’s.

Larry often spoke warmly of his all- American childhood growing up in Norwood during the 1940’s. After moving back to Birmingham in the 1990’s, he reconnected with a large group of men that also grew up in the old neighborhood. They fondly referred to themselves as The Norwood Boys, and met for monthly luncheons and special occasions for over twenty years. Sadly, Larry was one of the last surviving Norwood Boys.

Larry will be fondly remembered by family and friends as an epic story teller. His preferred topics included but were not limited to spirited boyhood adventures, poignant memories of his time in Korea, and impressive fishing and wildlife yarns of time spent in the Pacific Northwest.

As an only child, he was preceded in death by his father, Aaron “Si” Sartore, his mother Aloma Barnes Sartore, and his wife of 52 years, Joan Trawick Sartore.

He is survived by his children, Greg Sartore (Richmond, VA), Laurie Sartore Dorn and her husband Randy Dorn (Chattanooga, TN), and Melissa Sartore Caldwell and her husband Todd (Sevierville, TN); four grandchildren, Aaron Sartore, Andrew Dorn and his wife Autumn, Catherine Dorn Whitfield and her husband Marcus, and Alex Sartore; three great grandchildren, Liv, Walden, and Thatcher Whitfield.

A celebration of Larry’s life will be held at Johns-Ridout’s Elmwood Chapel on Saturday, November 14. Visitation will be at 11:00 and a celebration of his life begins at noon. Burial will be at Elmwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of Larry’s favorite charities, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.