Samuel M. Austin

Sam passed away February 19, 2012, in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was born May 17, 1917, in Gladwin, Michigan, to Charles and Myrtle (Battees) Austin. He was the last surviving sibling of 7 children. Sam Moved with his family just after he was born to Yamhill County. They moved to Hillsboro in 1925 and he graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1937. He married Minnie Anderson at The Christian Church parsonage in Hillsboro on June 18, 1939. She passed away in 1993. He served in the US Navy during WWII. Locally he worked for Birdseye as a mechanic until he retired. He worked for the company for an additional 5 years as a consultant. Sam loved to travel and had visited all 50 states. He began to wood carve after retirement and won many blue ribbons at the fair. He also enjoyed carving for his extended family. He married Margaret Beitelspach in 1995. She passed away in 2009. He attended Evergreen Christian Center in Hillsboro. He never stopped attending family outings and camping trips. His favorite pastime was to play "The Game" with family and friends. He even built a portable version so he could take it wherever there were people to play with! Sam is survived by 2 sons, Roger (Joan) of Hillsboro, Don of Forest Grove; grandchildren, Bonnie (Mike) Goodell of Caldwell, ID, Chet Austin of Cloverdale, OR, Debi Austin-Putney of Hillsboro, Liz (Jay) Wilcox of Tigard, OR; and 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.