Faye Baker Austin

Faye was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1927 to Agnes (Wall) and Ernest Baker and was one of the four Baker Sisters (Faye, Betty, Shirley & Carolyn). Faye graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in 1945. In 1948, after briefly working for the IRS, she married the love of her life, Gary Austin whom she met while at Andrew Jackson. They celebrated 55 years of marriage prior to his death in Jan, 2004. As the wife of a career army officer, Faye spent the first 26 years of her marriage moving her family and home almost every year to different locations in Japan, Germany and the US, including Okinawa, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Aschaffenburg and Washington, DC. In later years they would return to their home in Jacksonville, FL where she and her husband spent their retirement years. Faye was afforded many unique opportunities to see history in the making—including living in Berlin, Germany in 1958-59 before the wall went up and once again in 1969-71 after the wall was in place. She became fond of going “antiquing” while living in Germany, finding many beautiful treasures. During her time as an army officer wife, she enjoyed serving in various roles with the officer wife’s clubs and hosting official cocktail and dinner parties. She also enjoyed crocheting and painting. Most recently Faye was a resident of Cypress Village, where she had many friends. Above all she was a loving wife, mother and grandmother who was always there for her family. She will be greatly missed.

Faye was preceded in death by her husband, Colonel (ret) Garratt A Austin, her son Kenneth Austin and sister Shirley (Bob) Ulsch. She is survived by daughters, Susan Carr of Jacksonville and Cheryl Austin of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren, Jason (Kristin) Carr of Atlanta, GA, Rhonda Austin of Jacksonville, Geoffrey Austin of Jacksonville, Morgan and Sam Austin of Columbia, TN, her sisters, Betty (Dr. Earl) Williams and Carolyn (David) Coyner and many great grandchildren.

Funeral service details: 11am on Tues, April 11 at St Andrews Episcopal Church, 7801 Lone Star Rd. Jacksonville, FL 32211. A reception will follow the service in the church reception hall. Burial will follow the reception at Oaklawn Cemetery.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.