BATEY, Bob 'Mr. Chevrolet'
Of Elk Grove, charter president of the
Rotary Club of Elk Grove and lifelong resident of the town,
died Aug. 1, 2011 at the age of 89.
Memorial services are scheduled for
Saturday, Aug. 13 at 10am at Elk Grove United Methodist Church, 8986 Elk Grove
Blvd.
Robert Marshall Batey was born Sept. 27, 1921 to Matthew Lee Batey
and Edna Coons Batey at home on Batey Avenue, still occupied by family members
today. He graduated from Elk Grove Grammar and Elk Grove High Schools, then
attended Sacramento Junior College for two years and San Jose State College for
two years.
During
World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from April
1943 to January 1946. He was a member of the ground crew in the 5th and 13th Air
Forces which were B-24 heavy bomber outfits.
Following his discharge he
finished college at San Jose, earning his Bachelor of Arts in business
administration. There he met Olga Popovich from Mountain View, and the two were
married in June 1946. Mr. Batey then went to work for Batey Bros. (established
in 1919 by his uncle and father), one year as a mechanic and one year as parts
manager.
In 1948 he went to Detroit to take a Chevrolet dealer training
course and returned as general manager. He spent a year managing his own
Chevrolet dealership in Clarksburg, but in July 1953, when offered the chance to
buy into the family business, he took it, eventually buying out others to take
control. Known for his friendliness and always with a smile, his motto was,
'Lose a dollar, make a friend.' However, his spirit of competitiveness was
strong, and he enjoyed competing against Chevy dealers of his size, winning many
trips in the process. Olga Batey commented that they were able to travel the
world - China, Japan, France, England to mention a few.
Mr. Batey also
found time to pursue civic interests, and served as president of the Elk Grove
Chamber of Commerce in 1955. It was during his term that the annual Citizen of
the Year award was started. And in 1962 he was one of the founders of the Rotary
Club of Elk Grove, Mr. Batey serving as first president and later was the
recipient of the Paul Harris Award, Rotary's highest honor.
Another
interest was that of singing, and for many years he was a member of the Helter
Skelter Players that put on performances in town. From the players, came a
Barbershop quartet of Mr. Batey, John Draper, John Mahoney and George Nemetz.
Mr. Batey also sang in the choir at Elk Grove's Methodist Church as well as
serving on the board of trustees.
He retired about 1981, and devoted
himself to raising vegetables, known for his tomatoes and handcured olives and
fishing.
Mr. Batey was preceded in death by his son Lee, daughter
Christine Sarantakis and sister Nancy Campbell. He is survived by his wife of 65
years, Olga, daughter Stephanie and son Robert, all of Elk Grove; sisters, Etta
Thomas of Elk Grove and Florence Russell of Lafayette; son-in-law Christo
Sarantakis and grandchildren, Katarina Mitsopoulos and Robert Sarantakis, all of
the Bay Area; brother-in-law Donald Popovich of Granite Bay; and several nieces
and nephews.
Remembrances may be made to the Alzheimer's Society of
Northern California, 2641 Cottage Way, Ste. 4, Sacramento, CA 95825 or the
American Cancer Society , 1765
Challenge Way, Ste. 115, Sacramento, CA 95815.
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