Grover Cleveland Sartin Jr.

Grover Cleveland Sartin, Jr., age 93, of Dallas passed away on Friday, August 18, 2017. Grover was born on December 23,1923 in Itawamba County, Fulton, Mississippi to Ola (Davis) and Grover Cleveland Sartin, Sr.

Grover was the fifth of eight children and grew up in Mississippi and Alabama. He always managed to find a job whether it was selling newspapers or farming, carrying bricks, running the projector at the local theater or even shoveling caliche to build a road. He graduated from Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton Mississippi in 1940.

As a 16-year-old, he attended John Brown University in Arkansas and later, after hitchhiking to California, he enrolled in Santa Monica Technical School. It was there that he heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. While he and his classmates listened to President Roosevelt on the radio in the only place big enough for them to assemble, a hallway of the school, he became inspired to join the war effort.

Too young to enlist, he went to work at Vega Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed. By 1942 he joined the Army Air Corps and was assigned to a B-24 bomber crew where he served as an Armorer, First Gunner, and Ball Turret gunner. His crew was assigned to the 451st bomber group based in Italy, and fulfilled 27 missions over Europe. Grover was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945 having been awarded the European, African, Middle Eastern Ribbon with five bronze stars, the Good Conduct Ribbon, and the Air Medal with two bronze clusters.

Taking advantage of the G.I.Bill, Grover entered Oklahoma A&M and graduated in 1950 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. As an engineer, Grover worked in the oil industry all over the south, eventually traveling to Puerto Rico to work with his older brother Davis (Dave) in 1954.

There he met Gladys Darder-Gonzalez who was living in Cappara Heights with her sister, Olga Mirabal. Gladys and Grover married on Grover’s 31st birthday, December 23, 1954 at San Felipe Catholic Church in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

His first son, Grover Antonio, was born in 1957, followed three and a half years later by Gary José. Third son George Miguel was born in New Orleans in 1962.

Grover accepted an engineering position at Texas Instruments. He, Gladys, and their three boys moved to Dallas on July 26,1962. “I bought a house on Friday. We moved into the house on Saturday. I went to work on Monday,” he wrote of the move. Soon afterward, the Sartin family was joined by Gladys’ older sister, Olga Mirabal, and her two boys, Edgar and Manuel (Pinky), who had recently lost their father, Olga’s husband, Pin. In November of 1963, Grover’s fourth son, Gregory Roberto, was born in Dallas.

This household of six boys, two moms, and Grover remained in Dallas busy with sports, Scouts, farm chores, and a multitude of projects. The family was united by love and plenty of good cooking. In 1987, after thirty-three years of marriage, Grover lost his beloved wife, Gladys, to cancer. Grover and his sister-in-law, Olga, continued living in Dallas until 2001 when they moved to Spring, Texas. Eleven years later, they chose to move to Cedar Park, outside of Austin. Their relationship was of a brother and a sister, needing one another, helping one another, and at times frustrating one another. But, above all, they cared for each other and this amazing family through sad and happy times, births and deaths and the numerous large and small celebrations of life. Olga passed away on November 3, 2016.

Grover moved back to Dallas to be near his oldest son and his family and especially enjoyed being entertained by his first great-grandson, James.

Never wanting to be the center of attention, Grover was often quietly on the side, making his own observations and comments with a wink of the eye. He always had a book handy, but would fold up his glasses and set the book aside to spend a moment with any family member who wandered over for conversation. He shared family stories in his gentle way and made all of us feel loved. In a room full of happily chaotic family busy celebrating one event or another, it was Beyo (Tio), in his quiet corner, who provided grandkids and grand nieces and nephews a special refuge. He will be missed.

Left to treasure his memory are his children: Grover A. Sartin and wife Theresa of Dallas, TX; Gary J. Sartin and wife Margie of Farmington, NM; George M. Sartin and wife Karen of Lawrenceville, GA; Gregory R. Sartin of Los Angeles, CA; nephews: Edgar A. Mirabal and wife Carol of Marietta, GA; Manuel Blas Mirabal and wife Margaret of Marble Falls, TX; and Roberto José Colon and wife Lourdes of Chicago, IL.; niece Carolyn Colon Vega and husband Wilson of Puerto Rico; sisters-in-law: Lester Colon of Puerto Rico, Nilda Tosado of Puerto Rico and Antonia Darder of Los Angeles, CA.

Grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Ashley Sartin, Melissa Sartin and husband Dylan Davis and son James; Emily and Grace Sartin; Ryan and Kyle Sartin.

Grandnephew and grandnieces: Chet Mirabal and wife Brook; Shelby Mirabal Sheehan and husband Tanner; Danielle Mirabal Plumlee and husband Michael; and Michelle Mirabal.

Great-grandnephews and great-grandnieces: Keaton and Carden Mirabal, and MacKenzie and Carson Sheehan.

Grover is preceded in death by his parents Grover Cleveland Sartin Sr. and Mary Ola (Davis) Sartin, his brothers Davis Whitman Sartin and Linus Jefferson Sartin, sisters Norma June Parish, Anna Ouida Hubbard, Angelyn Oneda Fincher, Katherine Elizabeth Thompson, and Mary Sue Oliver, wife Gladys Darder Sartin, sister-in-law Olga Darder Mirabal, and brother-in-law Antonio Darder.

A memorial Mass for Grover will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 10:00am at Calvary Hill North Chapel, 3235 Lombardy Lane, Dallas, Texas. Inurnment to follow with military honors rendered. To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.calvaryhilldallas.com