Harvey "Buddy" Allen Sandlin

Harvey Allen Sandlin was born September 29th, 1934 in Kirbyville, Texas to Edward Lee and Martha Elizabeth Molen Sandlin. He was the youngest of nine children, and being his Papa’s little “Buddy”, thus the lifelong nickname.

After graduating South Park High School in Amelia, Mr. Sandlin was drafted into the United States Army in May of 1957, where he served as an E4 Specialist.

During that time in the Army, he was requested as a driver for his superiors, not only because he could drive vehicles with a manual transmission, but he was capable of repairing them, should the need arise, because he had been working on cars since he was a teenager.

After an honorable discharge from the Army in May of 1959, Mr. Sandlin continued to serve the rest of his required six years in the United States Air Force Reserves, where he served as a Staff Sergeant, and was honorably discharged in May of 1964.

He learned a trade as a draftsman, which he used to provide for his family for 25 years. After the oil boom fizzled in the 1980s, Mr. Sandlin began using his knowledge of mechanics and painting to work at Tomball Independent School District, working in their maintenance department. He painted everything from signs and walls to school buses and designing and building equipment for teachers and students to working on buses – even going so far as following the buses to away games so if one were to break down, he would work on it and get it running enough to get it back to the bus barn.

After retiring from TISD, his passion became a project that he had started with his late son, known to most as “Slug” Sandlin, who passed away in 1981. With his capability of working on cars, together they wanted to build a car that no one else could just buy off the lot. So after some searching, they found a 1956 Chevy in a chicken barn near Waco, and Slug bought it for $50, and they hauled it home on a trailer. The excitement died down when Slug realized just how much work was involved in the restoration. Sadly, Slug passed away before the ’56 was restored. But Buddy never let the dream die. It took several years, but in 2009, it was complete. He even put it in a few car shows!

Next, he worked as a bailiff at the Montgomery County Courthouse. He enjoyed working the main post, wanding people as they came through the metal detectors, and taking their property that wasn’t allowed in the courtrooms. When people didn’t return to pick up their knives, Buddy brought them home, and ended up with quite a collection.

Then he decided that building and selling birdhouses would be his next hobby. He set them up to sell on the side of local roads, and people would stop. This became a way for him to interact with people, and “put a little money in his pocket” as he called it. After health problems sidelined him for a while, he started making them again, but found it difficult to find spots in which to sell.

Mr. Sandlin is preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and his only son, Raymond “Slug” Sandlin. He is survived by three daughters – Penny Canning and husband Charles of Cypress, Wendy Sanne and husband Rick of Tomball, and Susan Gilford and husband Johnny of Lincoln, Arkansas. He also had 6 granddaughters, 4 great-grandsons, 2 great-granddaughters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service for Harvey "Buddy" will be held Sunday, May 12, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Cashner Funeral Home, 801 Teas Road, Conroe, TX 77303.