Salado - Services for Paul T. Sanford will be at 3:00PM on Tuesday, May 1 at Salado United Methodist Church, Royal Street, Salado. Reverend Travis Franklin will be officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00PM to 2:45PM Tuesday at the Methodist Church historic chapel.

On April 28, 2012, Paul T. Sanford passed into eternal life with God. Paul was an extraordinary person, overcoming some of the most sever difficulties a person could have including polio.

Paul began life in TN, Nov. 18, 1927 as the 5th son of T. E. and Mary White Sanford. Through his own courage and perseverance, Paul survived polio at the age of 8 and the death of his mother at age 9. As a result, the family of 8 siblings were split up among relatives. A shattered leg from a horse kick at age 11 and a fracture at age 21 were only temporary obstacles.

Paul left the Midwest to join family members in east Texas working in the oil fields, first as a maintenance person on large equipment and later as a master welder. He worked for Phillips Oil, Mobil Oil Co.

In 1955 he bought an independent service station in West Columbia and operated it and a wholesale gas business for two years.

In 1954, Paul met the love of his life and married Patsy Guest of Salado, a school teacher in the area. His new father-in-law, Earl Guest invited him to partner with him in purchasing Salado Feed and Grain Company. It was a feed store, a feed mill, storage buildings and a scale office. The storage eventually had a capacity of eight million lbs of grain and storage for extra ingredients used in the feed mill. Most went export through the ports in Houston, Galveston and Corpus Christi. In connection with the business, Paul ranched, raising cattle and hogs.

He later owned 18 wheelers for hauling oil field equipment, and owned and operated dump trucks and backhoes in the area. He built a storage business south of town which he continued to operate until his death.

Always active in the community, Paul has worked with Salado little league, girls softball and Salado youth’s animals at the Bell Co. Fair. He served as the 3rd president of the Chamber of Commerce, helped in building the first fire department building, the first fire truck, and did fundraising to build the Pace Park Pavilion. He was on the board helping to start Salado’s First State Bank.

Paul loved life and people. He taught three boys to be self sufficient at an early age and they all have gone on to successful careers. He is survived by his wife Patsy, sons Terry and wife, Janice of Sugar Land, Tracey and wife, Lisa of Ft. Worth and Jim of Austin. Grandchildren include Justin, Charlie, Ashley, Casey, step-grandchildren Ashley, Janna, Heather and six great-grandchildren, and: two sisters: Eva Hancock of Bristow, Ok., and Pat Shamas of Tulsa, OK.

Internment will be at Salado Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his honor to:

Youth Division, Salado United Methodist Church, PO Box 771, Salado, TX, 76571 and the Salado Cemetery, PO Box 21, Salado, TX. 76571 or a charity of your choice.