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Austin E. 'Earl' Sterling Waco, TX QCWA # 16171 Chapter 129 |
Austin E. (Earl) Sterling Sr., 82, passed away Saturday, April 11, 2009, at Providence Hospital surrounded by his family. Services are 10 a.m. Thursday, April 16, at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 Austin Avenue, with the Rev. William Sterling and Dr. Jimmie Johnson officiating. Interment will immediately follow at Oakwood Cemetery. A family visitation will be held Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home.
Born in the Oak Lawn area of what is now known as Bellmead, to the late Sylvia (Dent) and Earl Sterling, Earl, as he was best known, attended La Vega elementary schools prior to his family moving to the Gholson community in McLennan County. There, as a young boy, "Little" Earl developed a thirst for reading and found his vocational passions for electronics and flying, learning to build crystal radio sets for friends and neighbors. He became a pilot while still in his teenage years. He attended West schools and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II where he continued his education becoming a highly proficient radio technician with specialized training to become a reconnaissance pilot flying the RP-38 Lightning. After the war, Earl joined the Civil Aeronautics Agency (CAA) where he was stationed at advanced and remote stations in Panama (Canal Zone) and Swan Island in the West Indies. He became a prize-winning ham radio operator, winning several international competitions in the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). His radio license for the last twenty years was KT5Q from which he made friends around the world via voice and code radio transmissions. He continued to advance his love of electronics as the CAA became what we now know as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). During these early years, he became a television expert, repairing "tube" television sets for family, friends, and neighbors and developing lifelong friendships with so many others in the electronics and television field in the Central Texas area. While in the FAA, he became a nationally recognized expert on radar and radio-based instrument landing systems used at our nation's airports. His expertise as a troubleshooter for airport instrument landing systems and radar arrays was widely sought and he retired from government service in 1974. In his later years he remained quite active, serving on the Board of Directors and managing the Waco Lighthouse for the Blind for several years. He used his entrepreneurial spirit as a private businessman, becoming an early pioneer in personal satellite antennae systems and an independent trucker for several years. However, his primary "job" in his retirement years was being "Granddaddy".
In 1952, while on rotation back to Texas from his service in Panama, he married Ida Lee Donaldson at St. John's Methodist Church in Waco. Earl then took his young bride with him to Panama, returning to Texas to stay in 1953. While a private man, Earl gave much back to his community. He was a member of the Fort Worth Toastmaster Club for many years and was a longtime member, director and officer of the Waco Founders' LIONS Club. His activity in the LIONS led him to many service projects, whether it was working to fund the LIONS Camp in Kerrville, collecting glasses for LIONS projects helping the vision impaired, or delivering food and fruit baskets to families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. He was also a member of the Baylor-Waco Foundation. He was a charter member and director of the HOT Federal Credit Union. In 1981, he was stricken with prostate cancer, but with the quiet strength he was known for and the dedicated service and care of Dr. Robert Corwin, Earl was a heroic survivor for 28 years. And while he was not a former student, Earl was no less a devoted Texas Aggie, sending four of his children to Texas A&M University. For several years, he provided large trucks from his private business for use in building the Aggie Bonfire as well as following Aggie athletics and attending campus traditions such as Aggie Muster whenever he could. Most anytime, you could find him having coffee with his dear friends down at Kim's Restaurant, wearing one of many old A&M caps, telling Aggie jokes while at the same time, bragging on the Ol' Ags. He was a patriot and a man of profound personal character and uncompromising integrity. He was dedicated to the service of others above himself; a philanthropist of moderate means and a great magnanimous heart.
Earl was preceded in death by his brother, William Paul Sterling; sister, Doris Evelyn Mears, and three other sisters; as well as many dear friends and colleagues from the Central Texas community.
Earl is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Ida Lee Sterling; sons, Austin E. Sterling II and wife, Beverly, of Waco, Rev. William A. Sterling, of Meridian, Bryant L. (Lewis) Sterling and wife, Kay, of Dallas, and Steven K. Sterling and wife, Cecilia, of Canton, Texas; daughter, Melinda Lee Townsend and husband, David, of Waco; eighteen beloved grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a host of dear friends and family throughout the Waco area.
Granddaddy knew he could never pay back what blessings were given him, so he always tried to pay them forward.
Waco Trib: 4/14/2009...D4