- Date Of Birth: September 8, 1936
- Date Of Death: October 1, 2009
- State: Texas
Howard Kent Sartor, September 8, 1936 – October 1, 2009.
Belton — Howard Kent Sartor of Salado, Texas passed away on October 1, 2009. The memorial service will be held at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton, Texas on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 4pm. “H.K.”, as he was nicknamed, was the son of Rachel and Howard Sartor of Bartlett. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Vicky, by merely months. The eldest of three boys, HK, Steve, and Stanley enjoyed a beautiful country life in Bartlett and surrounding areas. HK was born on September 8, 1936.
After the completion of three degrees, HK worked for Shell Oil in the production engineering department. Then, he dedicated 20 years of his life to teaching. He also started his own investment real estate enterprise. All proved to be intelligent and worthwhile endeavors. Howard Kent received two state wide teaching awards and an additional national certificate for his dedication to deprived children. He formed a family real estate corporation including his wife, Vicky and son, HR. HK, Vicky, and HR were founding advisory board members of “Baby Charlie’s Fishing Camp” which grew into Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children.
They assisted with the first fundraiser of the organization. Today the retreat serves approximately 6,000 special needs & chronically ill children annually. Howard Kent’s love for history ran deep as he studied the early explorations of Texas. His knowledge of Native American lore was extraordinary as reflected by his Cherokee bloodline. His friends remarked that they could listen to his stories for hours. His collection of Cowboy and Native American artifacts was fascinating, including arrowheads, hats, boots and other memorabilia. His love for animals was evident in his study of the animals of the Texas Range.
One of HK’s greatest fears was the possible extinction of the buffalo and the longhorn. He worked with the Y.O. Ranch, King Ranch, and Texas Tech University in assuring preservation of certain bloodlines of horses and cattle. HK also helped resurrect the Longhorn Trail Drives in Texas. His friends and family remember his warm smile, funny stories, and interesting conversations. His love for his family was obvious when he would say, “My beautiful wife works at the church and my handsome son was born on Christmas Day.” He assisted his wife, Vicky, for over twenty five years in her work with youth at the Salado Methodist Church. He did any task asked of him..from painting houses to taking loads of children to the beach. Howard Kent Sartor is survived by his son, HR Sartor. He is also survived by many friends and relatives.
After meeting Jim and Daurice Bowmer, he formed a close bond. The two families considered writing a book of family quotes. “Leave people and places better than you found them”. “Every night, give a prayer of thanks to God, aboveclose your eyes and smile.” .and so he did. He will be missed by his friends, family, community, state, and the world!
