Mrs. Vera Y. Austin

Vera Yvonne Stimson Austin, 87, passed away peacefully on June 6, 2012 in Monroe, North Carolina, at Woodridge Assisted Living. She was the widow of Jack L. Austin, M.D., of Griffin. Mrs. Austin was born in Hong Kong of British parents and lived there until her teenage years when her family moved to Surrey, England. Her parents were Godfrey Albert Stimson and Ellen Slay Stimson. Mrs. Austin was educated at the Maryknoll Convent and the French Convent in Hong Kong, and the Ursuline Convent and the Gregg Business College in Surrey, England. She was employed by the U.S. Army in Cheltenham, England, during World War II, at the American Red Cross Supply Unit, when she met Major Jack Austin of Griffin, Georgia. They were married in London in 1945, and returned to Griffin later that year. After settling in Griffin, she joined the Hospital Auxiliary and served as president from 1953 to 1954. She was also a member of the local and state Medical Auxiliary and served as president of the local chapter from 1957 to 1958. Mrs. Austin was a member of the Griffin Utility Club and served as president in 1959 and 1960. She served intermittently for 18 years on the Hillandale Board of Directors and was secretary from 1981 to 1999. She also assisted her husband in his medical practice from 1962 to 1984 in the capacity of office manager and medical assistant. She and her husband retired from his medical practice in 1984. She was a member of the Griffin First United Methodist Church and served as secretary to the Minister of Music, Alan Benson, from 1999 to 2004. Survivors and relatives include her son Tony Austin of Lake Toxaway, NC, daughter and son-in-law Ellen and Terry Moore of Monroe, NC; four grandchildren, Jeffrey Austin of Chicago, the late Alan Moore of Charlotte, NC, Charles Moore and wife Jenny of Charlotte, NC, and Jacquelyn Moore of Monroe, NC; and four great-grandchildren, Layla and Blake Covington-Moore of Monroe, NC, and Scarlett and Ava Moore of Charlotte, NC. Relatives also include her brother-in-law Philip Laundy of Ottawa, Canada, nephews Philip and Andrew Laundy of Ottawa, Canada, niece Fiona Stimson of Durban, South Africa, sister-in-law Ruth Austin Denney of Canton, GA, and nephews and nieces Wilson Denney, Jackson Denney, Bill Austin, Ann Denney Benzel, and Joan Denney. Her sister, Cynthia Laundy of Ottawa, Canada, passed away in 2011, and her brother, Alan Stimson, of Bognor Regis, England, in 2009. In the last years of her life, she was lovingly cared for at home by Connie Green, Beverly Phinazee, Connie Andrews, Tabitha Andrews, Akila Lee, TreMichelle Burden, Marquita Dennis, Rashema Slater, and Dee-Dee Dean. The family wishes to express our gratitude for the commitment and tender, loving care of all of her caregivers, Ruby Vaughn of Vista Care of Griffin, Hospice Palliative Care of Charlotte, and Woodridge Assisted Living in Monroe. We appreciate the respect and dignity that was shown on a daily basis. Our precious mother was kind, loving, patient, fun, adaptable, and a lady of strength of character...not sometimes, but always. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 2:30pm in the sanctuary of the Griffin First United Methodist Church, and the family will receive friends at a reception following in the church’s Welcome Center. Condolences may be left in the guest book at www.conner-westburyfuneralhome.com. Flowers are welcome, or donations may be made to the Chancel Choir Fund or Young-at-Heart Fund at the Griffin First United Methodist Church, or a charity of choice.

Mrs. Vera Y. Austin

August 2, 1924 - June 6, 2012