John Phillip Sartin was born at St. John Hospital in Tulsa on June 2, 1931, and died on June 2, 2023, after a brief illness. Raised in Tulsa, he attended Burroughs Elementary, Roosevelt Junior High, and graduated from Central High School in 1949.  John started college at the University of Mississippi on an NROTC Scholarship.  While at Ole Miss, he was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma his sophomore year and graduated from OU with a degree in Geology.

Upon graduation, John received his Commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed on the USS Frank Knox, DDR 742, where he served during the Korean War.  After the war, he was transferred to the Naval Ammunition Depot in McAlester, Oklahoma, where he spent the remainder of his active-duty service obligation.  John spent a total of 20 years of combined active and reserve duty in the Navy and retired at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Upon his return to Oklahoma, John married Suzanne Crew.  John and Suzanne moved to Norman, where John obtained a Master's degree in Geophysics from OU John and Suzanne then moved to Tulsa where John began his career with a local oil company.

In 1960, John left the oil business to join his uncle, Joe Bradley, at Bradley Oldsmobile. John attended the General Motors Institute and graduated with a degree in Automobile Management. In 1966, John purchased the dealership and renamed it Regency Oldsmobile.

During his time in the car business, Regency Oldsmobile was consistently one of the top 100 Oldsmobile dealerships in the country. John won many automotive awards and in 1977, he was named the TIME Magazine National Dealer of the Year. He also received the Oklahoma Automobile Dealer of the Year Award in 1980. In 1988, John sold Regency Oldsmobile and retired.

John was active in several professional organizations. He served as Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Reserve Intelligence Unit, President of the Naval Reserve Association, Director of the Navy League, President of the Tulsa Automobile Dealers Association, Member of the Oldsmobile National Dealers Council, Vice President of the Oklahoma Automobile Association, Chairman of the NCM-OLDS 32 Management Group, and was a twenty-year member and former Chairman of the Oklahoma Department of Consumer Affairs. John was a longtime member of Southern Hills Country Club and Vice Chairman of the 52nd PGA Tournament. He was a lifetime member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and was recently named a "Significant Sig."

John loved to travel and visited all seven continents.  He also enjoyed fishing, photography, OU sports, and spending time with family and friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Ann Brinlee, his son, John Phillip Sartin, Jr., and his stepson, Brent Ashley.  He is survived by his son, Robert and wife, Melissa, John Jr's wife, Angela Sartin Hartung (Jeff) and grandchildren, Maggie Hartung Ariekela (Sam), Phillip Sartin, Evan Hartung, Jack Sartin (Linda), Abigail Sartin and Maggie Sartin.

John's service will be held in the Chapel at Montereau at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2023 with a reception to follow.  A Private Interment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation to the charity of your choice.