Gordon Austin went home to be with his savior on Nov. 29, 2020.
Gordy was born on May 8, 1944, in Whitehall, to Harry and Margaret (Paulson) Austin. He had two brothers, Robert and Walter. They were raised on the family farm and moved to Chippewa Falls when he was a teenager, where he graduated high school. In 1962, Gordy joined the Air Force and served for three years. He then began working at AT&T in 1967 until he retired in 2002.
In 1967, he was married to Linda (Nauertz) and they had one daughter, Rebecca. The couple later divorced. In 1974, he married Linda (Marquardt) and they had two children, Jennifer and Donald. Linda preceded him in death on Nov. 28, 1998. Gordy then married Carol (Patzer) in January in 2010. This brought him three stepchildren, James, Jeff and Jodi Patzer and four step-grandchildren. Together they enjoyed cards, camping, touring, traveling and taking cruises. Carol preceded him in death on Nov. 7, 2018.
Gordy made friends wherever he went. He was kind and accepting to all. In 1977, he quit drinking and joined AA, which gave him a new lease on life. He helped many with his volunteer work with AA and AODA. On May 11, 2019, Gordy was able to go on the Honor Flight; it was a very memorable day for him. Recently, he moved to Idaho to be with his fiancée, Ruth.
He is survived by his fiancée, Ruth Pittman; brother, Walter (Laura) Austin; children, Rebecca (David) Colwell, Jenny (Joe) Austin and Don (Adam) Austin; and grandchildren, Keith Possedi, Kat Ewell and Heather (Dustin) Turnmire. He is further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Margaret Austin, and his brother, Robert Austin.
Gordy’s funeral will be held at Cesarz, Charapata and Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 Moreland Boulevard, Waukesha on Friday, Dec. 11. Visitation is from 3 to 6 p.m. with the memorial service at 6 p.m. Masks are mandatory due to the virus.
Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, Cremation and Pre-Planning Services are serving the family.
