Salesman F. Paul Sankey's life revolved around family
F. Paul Sankey loved his wife so much that he practically got goose bumps returning home from work.
"He always told me how much he liked to drive up the hill and turn the corner and see my mom's car in the driveway," said his daughter, Suzette Keefer of Murrysville. "He just couldn't wait to see his bride."
F. Paul Sankey of Oakmont died Monday, Dec. 26, 2011, of a heart attack at home. He was 76.
He was born Aug. 30, 1935, in Churchill to Dr. Robert and Francis Sankey. His father was a family practitioner.
As a boy, Mr. Sankey used to trap rabbits, which he sold to a sportsman's club in Churchill, and collect metal scraps for the war effort during World War II.
He was a paratrooper in the Army and served in Germany during peacetime. After returning home, Mr. Sankey felt he had no purpose in life and suffered a severe bout of depression, his daughter said.
"With the little faith he had left, he said the Lord's Prayer, and God intervened in his life," Keefer said.
He came under the wing of Charlie Turner, owner of Turner Dairy Farms in Penn Hills, where he had worked while earning a merit badge in agriculture with the Boy Scouts.
Turner gave him a job as a salesman and encouraged him. Mr. Sankey eventually retired as sales manager at age 62, but continued working for the company on a part-time basis.
He met Becky, his wife of 53 years, at a friend's house. He regularly placed a bouquet of flowers in a vase on the kitchen table so that they would be waiting for her at breakfast. The couple often enjoyed dancing.
"They were like magic on the dance floor," Keefer recalled. "They looked like they were floating."
Mr. Sankey and his wife bought property and rented 120 units. Even as a landlord, he demonstrated his charm.
"He would be throwing people out, and they would be thanking him because he was such a good landlord," said his son, Jeffery Sankey of Plum. "He would help them move."
His children said their father encouraged them throughout life.
"He would catch you doing things right most of the time and give you a pat on the back," his son said.
Keefer said her father was like her best friend.
"He was the one I wanted to share my life stories with, whether it was something I was proud of, something I was concerned about or needed advice," she said. "He was my coach."
On July 4, Mr. Sankey fell off a bicycle and suffered a severe brain injury. His daughter quit her job and helped take care of him.
"I got to be with him at the finish line, and I'm honored and blessed by that," she said.
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Sankey is survived by sisters Roberta Short of Virginia, Ginger Boyer of Washington, D.C., and Marian Grande of Tempe, Ariz.; and three grandchildren.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Burket-Truby Funeral Home Cremation & Alternative Services Inc., 421 Allegheny Ave., in Oakmont.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Riverside Community Church. The family suggests memorials be made to Rotary International, the Boy Scouts or Riverside Community Church.
