William "Jim" Hugh Austin Jr.

Mr. William Hugh Austin, Jr., 80, of 1 Shorter Circle—a devoted husband, loving father, beloved grandfather, Air Force veteran, and retired civil servant died Friday Night, July 28, 2017 at his home in Rome, GA.

A native of Rome, Mr. Austin was born on November 1, 1936, the son of William Hugh Austin, Sr. and Katherine Logan Austin. He graduated from Darlington School in 1954 as valedictorian. He studied Aeronautical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduating in 1958. He was married to Barbara Eleanor Welsh on June 27, 1959.

The Austins were active members of the Allatoona Yacht Club (AYC) and Mr. Austin served as an officer of the Board for many years. He was also a member of the Friends of Theatre Board at Shorter College. Mr. Austin went by Jim Austin and loved poetry--especially by Edgar Allen Poe, Ogden Nash, and Sidney Lanier.

Before moving back home to Rome in 1995, Mr. Austin lived with his wife and five children in Dayton, Ohio. He was an engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base for 37 years. Among other professional accomplishments, he was a chief designer of the F15 fighter jet. He was instrumental in a commercial-government partnership between Boeing Corporation in Seattle, Washington, and the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1970s. In addition to his career, Mr. Austin served as an associate board member of the Dayton Art Institute.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara Eleanor Welsh Austin, Rome; his five children: Mary Katherine Austin, San Francisco, CA; William David Austin, Rome, GA; Ann Margaret Austin, Sebastopol, CA; Jane Elizabeth Austin, San Francisco, CA; and Susan Rebecca Austin, Eugene, OR; and ten grandchildren.

A memorial service was held at Daniel’s Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Visitation was at 10:00 a.m. and the service began at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment was at Myrtle Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions to be made to the scholarship fund at Darlington School, 1014 Cave Spring Rd. SW, Rome, GA. 30161.

Please visit our website at www.daniels-funeralhome.com to share memories and post tributes.

Daniel’s Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.