SAWYERS, E.P. (Skip)

E. P. (Skip) Sawyers, after a courageous 3-year battle with lung cancer succumbed to the disease at just 48 years of age. Skip believed in quality of life versus quantity and added more than three productive, happy years to that life after learning of his cancer. He lived enough to fill three lifetimes in his short span, ten years of it in Australia. He loved to travel and saw a good bit of the world; traveling light and adopting local customs. He said he needed only "Passport, ticket, money." He is already sorely missed by family and friends on several different continents. Always a hard worker from his youth, he bought his first new car while still in high school. He never lost his love of cars and drag raced successfully in Texas in the 1970's. He fine-tuned race cars at his speed shop, Sawyers V-8 Specialties. He owned Last Chance Liquors in Amarillo, TX; worked for the Santa Fe Railroad starting on a track gang, then the welding shop, as a brakeman and finally conductor. Don Bergman took him as apprentice machinist, where he finally found his calling in engineering. He became a member of Machinists Local Lodge 1255 in Amarillo. He moved to Queensland, Australia and finally incorporated, forming Engineering International, Inc. importing expertise and machine parts to that country. He built many prototypes now in commercial production in both the US and the Pacific Rim. Skip expended much energy trying to help others and was a genuine and giving soul. He is survived by his mother and step-father, Sallee and Corky Williams of Tonto Basin, AZ; his companion, Gail of Payson; his son & grandson Eli and Paxton Sawyers of Oklahoma City, OK; uncle Haskell Beaver of Amarillo; aunt Marion Parker Scott and cousin Margaret Brittin both of Davis Oklahoma; cousin Jim Parker of Madison, Alabama and "adopted" son Kaleb McGehee of Winslow, AZ. In accordance with his wishes, there will be no services. Contributions may be made in his name to Rim Country Hospice Foundation 107 E. Frontier Payson, AZ 85541 (928) 472-6340. Published in The Arizona Republic on 6/20/2003.