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Someone has said that making people laugh is the greatest gift you can give. Randy Sizemore had that gift. At times he was funny when he never meant to be.

Sizemore was a co-worker at the STAR for a number of years, overseeing maintenance. He was a gem in that he shined in a number of things. He could fix things, would often help in the pressroom, do errands, and was then-Publisher Frank Robinson’s go-to man when he needed something fixed or repaired or just needed a driver.

His wife, Lorraine, described Randy as a jokester and “character.” The couple would have been married 50 years in March 2025. They were the parents of four children – Melissa, Karen, Jimmy, and Maranda. Additionally, Randy and Lorraine had four grandchildren.

Sizemore was a jack-of-all-trades, but he enjoyed working on cars most, especially vintage cars. He had been a mechanic, and when younger had served in the U.S. Marines, something he was very proud of. 

“He’d even wrap Christmas gifts for the entire family,” said Lorraine.

Sizemore was also known as a “storyteller.” He enjoyed talking and could tell stories for hours on end.

In addition to working on cars, Sizemore had an older model tractor which he enjoyed driving.  “He would use it to plow his garden, for mowing, and other small jobs,” said Lorraine.

Sizemore enjoyed his work at the STAR, but STAR employees enjoyed Randy (as he was known to co-workers) as well. You always knew where he was working, because there was laughter.

Sizemore was a very compassionate person, always willing to help when he could. When Publisher Robinson became too weak to drive, it was Randy who was always by his side, driving him to and from work, doing things at home for him, and on occasion would spend the night at his bedside. He and Lorraine did the same for Mrs. Robinson when her health failed. They stayed in an upstairs apartment at the Robinson home for a short time and cared for Mrs. Robinson.

Sizemore enjoyed people, but he enjoyed food, too. “He enjoyed eating at different places and liked all kinds of foods, but seafood was his favorite,” said Lorraine. She shared that he enjoyed taking the children and grandchildren out to eat. 

She noted that Randy also enjoyed cooking and oftentimes would cook for the children and grandchildren.

He also enjoyed playing with his grandchildren and for one of his granddaughters, he for a period of time kept and cared for three chickens she had.

One of his favorite things to do was to go to yard sales and flea markets. “He especially enjoyed finding old tools, saws, drills, hand tools, etc. He would bring them home and often display them on the side of the barn,” his wife said.

But at the STAR we remember Randy for his laughter, his jokes and humor. Seemingly, he was always in a good mood and never took life or people seriously. One event that stands out in my mind was showing his bald head at Mr. Robinson’s funeral. He always wore a cap. You never saw Randy without his cap. However, he walked into the church at “Big R’s” funeral dressed in a suit and without a cap, his bald head showing. I remarked to a co-worker that it was rare that you saw Randy without his cap on. She answered, “Where? I don’t see him,” and when I pointed him out to her….she laughed and said “but that man is bald.”

When we returned to work the next day, she sought him out and said, “I didn’t know you were bald,” to which he laughed, but he didn’t take his cap off.

Randy was very accomodating. One time when I bought a new TV, Randy came by my house and set it up, made all the adjustments, and made sure I knew how to work the remote before he left.

Randy Sizemore was a character, but he was a good man. To Sizemore, laughter was the jam on the toast of life. It added flavor to life and made some things in life easier to swallow. We were blessed to have known Randy and to have had him as a friend. I’m sure many of my co-workers, present and past, share those same sentiments.