Albert Saylor, age 72, of Leonidas, died Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, at his home, following a brief illness.
He was born Jan. 10, 1940, in Beverly, Ky., a son of Lloyd and Frances (Caldwell) Saylor.
Albert moved to Chicago when he was 15. He worked for a fence construction business and it was in Chicago where he met his future wife, Joyce.
Albert was married to Joyce (Sears) Smith on Feb. 7, 1970, in Three Rivers. They have resided in the Leonidas area since their marriage. While living here, Albert continued to work in the fence construction business and later for American Metal Fab in Three Rivers, retiring in 2002. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking, hunting and gardening along his creek-side home.
Albert is survived by his wife, Joyce; four children, Brandon Saylor of Leonidas, Dwayne (Amy) Saylor of Stomping Ground, Ky., Russell (Veda Martin) Smith of Mendon, and Linda (Matthew) Tinman of Sturgis; 10 grandchildren, Brian, James, Trevor, Corey and Emily Saylor, Whitney Smith, Jennifer, Jeremy and Justin Savoia, and Jhenna Puckett; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Ollie Mae Caldwell of Kentucky and Frances June (Lee) Arnold of Mayville; a brother, Earl (Livonia) Saylor of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Ricky, LeRoy, Gordon and Richard Saylor; and two sisters, Lillian and Betty Sue Saylor.
The family will receive friends from noon-2 p.m. Saturday at Eickhoff Funeral Home in Mendon. Funeral services will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with David Farrell officiating. Burial will be in Leonidas Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to either the American Cancer Society, or the American Heart Association.
An online register is available at www.eickhofffuneralhome.com.