Obituary of Paul Falconer Sale

Inventor of drive-through auto claim service dies at 93 Paul Falconer Sale, Jr., U.S. Navy veteran and local business owner passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia on August 20, 2019. Born on May 23, 1926 in Roanoke, Virginia, his parents were Anita Imboden Sale and Paul Falconer Sale, Sr. His father worked for the Norfolk and Western Railway. His mother was the daughter of Captain Francis Marion Imboden and the niece of Civil War Brigadier General John Daniel Imboden, officers in the Confederate Army. In 1861 his grandfather left the Virginia Military Institute to march under the command of then Major Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson who was a professor at the VMI. Paul was interested in all things mechanical starting from a very young age, always tinkering and taking things apart. As a youngster he made his own crystal radio set, joined the Boy Scouts and developed an interest in photography. Following his graduation at the age of 17 from Jefferson High School in Roanoke he enlisted in the Navy. During World War II he served at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois and was placed in the V12 officer training program attending school in Richmond, Virginia and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946. Paul relocated to Washington, D.C. in July 1948 for a new job as a claims manager for the Hartford Insurance Company which was located first at 925 Fifteenth St. NW and later at 1000 Vermont Ave, across from Sholl’s Cafeteria. It was customary at that time for claimants to be told to get three estimates from three different body shops, which was difficult for most people. Paul had the idea of having an independent appraiser, Bev Power of Coast-In Pontiac, conveniently do estimates on a vacant lot at 1411 K St NW three times a week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Claimants could walk to his office a block away for a fast settlement of the claim. At a convention of appraisers he was introduced by Mr. Power as the “Inventor of Drive-In Claim Service”. Later he worked at the A.H. Baker company, U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty, in the Woodward Building at 15th and H Street NW, and as an assistant superintendent at the casualty claims office with National Surety Corporation, later bought out by the Fireman’s Fund. He met Lee Mitchell, a tall and attractive airline stewardess in Washington D.C. They married March 10, 1951 and set up a home in Arlington VA. Lee and Paul raised four children: his daughter, Lucy; sons William and Thomas; and youngest daughter Susan Beth. From his experience working for insurance companies he realized that there was a need for good quality photography for insurance claims. He and Lee decided to start their own business taking litigation and insurance related pictures to fill that niche. Leaving the corporate world and starting a business was a big gamble in 1957 with four young mouths to feed. Luckily the business Paul Sale Photography thrived with Lee’s organizational and people skills and Paul’s expert photography and knowledge of insurance claims. The business continues to the present day. As part of his business he took aerial photographs from small airplanes like Piper Cubs taking off from the Bailey’s Crossroads airport (now Skyline Center). To take the aerial photos he would open the airplane door while in flight, hold the door open with his foot, and lean out to take the pictures. One of his clients who developed into a close friend, J.P. Garnier, had a private pilot’s license and they often flew to interesting locations such as the Montreal Expo 67 and Nassau, Bahamas. In the 1960s Paul studied and received a general aviation pilot’s license and would fly small airplanes from time to time. Throughout his life, Paul continued his love of tinkering with radios and televisions. In the 1970s he opened a second small business, Military TV, with a neighbor in a small shop located on Washington Blvd across from Fort Meyer in Arlington. He repaired mainly televisions that were from the vacuum tube era. Paul Sale was predeceased by his wife Lee in 2003 and his sister Nancy Sale Garrett of Roanoke, Virginia, in 2010. Mr. Sale is survived by his four children and their spouses, two grandsons, Michael Sale and Max Sale, and two nephews and a niece. Friends and family will always remember Paul’s inquisitive mind – able to recite lists of all kinds including U.S. Supreme Court Justices, amendments to the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Presidents as they served. He loved people and had a diverse set of friends whom he enjoyed bringing together. He cherished his longtime friends and made new friends easily organizing a “lunch bunch” with friends in the insurance and legal profession that met at various places in Virginia. He will be missed by many. A private celebration of Paul Sale’s life was held in October.