Grady Sizemore Jr.

News Obituary Article

LILBURN: Grady Sizemore, 72, Ford retiree

By DERRICK HENRY

Grady Sizemore Jr. was equally adept at making a stained glass window, restoring a Model A Ford or testifying in court.

The Atlanta native earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Tech in 1952 and, after an Army stint, found work as a salesman for Honeywell.

He didn't like it.

"Dad wanted something to do with cars," said his son, Steve Sizemore of Lawrenceville. "As a kid, he started out fixing and building bicycles. As a teenager, he restored about four hot rods."

Mr. Sizemore applied for jobs at Chevrolet and Ford in the early 1960s and was accepted by both. When Chevrolet said he would need to relocate, he chose Ford.

"His main job was quality control," his son said. "He would go to different Ford service departments, look them over and investigate any complaints. He had the power to shut them down."

Mr. Sizemore often testified for Ford in court against customer complaints. "They let him be the spokesman in a lot of lawsuits because of his character. He didn't drink or smoke, and you never heard a cuss word come from his mouth," his son said.

The strategy paid off. Once, a man testified that Mr. Sizemore had cursed him out, his son said. Ford brought forth some character witnesses, and it soon became apparent the man was lying.

Mr. Sizemore, 72, died at his Lilburn residence on Tuesday of complications from a stroke. The funeral is 11 a.m. today at Colonial Woods Baptist Church. A graveside service will be at 3:30 p.m. at Giles & Hardigree Cemetery in Watkinsville. Bill Head Funeral Home, Lilburn/Tucker Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Forty years ago, Mr. Sizemore bought two 1929 Model A Fords, one a forest green four-door convertible touring car, the other a convertible truck that he painted red. Both were painstakingly restored and won several awards at regional car shows, his son said.

After retiring in the late 1980s, Mr. Sizemore took a stained glass course and opened Grady's Glass, later renamed Glass Expression, in Norcross. He made stained glass windows for houses, restaurants and churches, including "The Sower" for Colonial Woods Baptist Church and a 12-by-12-foot depiction of the Holy Grail for Norcross Lutheran Church, his son said.

After a few years, Mr. Sizemore's teeth began falling out, and he had never had a cavity. The cause turned out to be lead poisoning; he had not worn gloves in his stained glass work, his son said. A stroke in 1994 left him paralyzed on his left side. Using his right hand, he wrote letters and telephoned the sick to pray for them, his son said.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Frances Carruth Sizemore; two daughters, Kathy Munson and Tori McCubbin, both of Snellville; a sister, Gloria Chupp of Loganville; a brother, Glenn Sizemore of Stockbridge; and four grandchildren.

© 2004 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution