Harry A. Austin
Harry A. Austin, II, 93, of Dyke, Virginia (formerly Earlysville, Virginia) died on March 9, 2024, at Mountain View Nursing Home in Madison County, Virginia.
Born March 23, 1930, he was the son of Eva Lewis Austin and William Milnes Austin of Charlottesville, Virginia. Harry entered the military at 17 years old and was a combat veteran of the Korean war, completing his service as a corporal in the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1957 he graduated from Virginia Tech and married Dorothy Wortman, with who he enjoyed 65 years of marriage until her death in 2023. They were devoted parents of three children, instilling in them their love of travel and adventure, and the value of treating everyone with respect and compassion.
Harry had a 30-year career in the Staunton and Albemarle County school systems teaching drafting and industrial arts. He was the President of the Albemarle Education Association for several years and was by all accounts a feisty advocate for teacher compensation and working conditions. Promptly following his retirement Harry was appointed to a Governor’s commission for the advancement of vocational education to better serve the needs of an evolving workplace in the trades and technology.
In his free time from teaching and in retirement Harry designed and built houses with an increasing focus on sustainability, affordability, passive solar and photovoltaics many years before such concepts became part of the common design parlance. His interest in ecofriendly design extended to edible landscapes to replace lawns with organic berry and vegetable gardens.
Harry was for many years an active member of Buck Mountain Episcopal Church in Earlysville, Virginia, and spearheaded the design and construction of two additions to that Church.
Harry is survived by his three children, William M. Austin, III of Tampa, Florida; Harry A. Austin, III (Nancy) of Dyke, Virginia; and Betty Ann Austin of Lacey, Washington.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Buck Mountain Episcopal Church in Earlysville, Virginia, followed by a reception in Deese Hall. Burial will be private.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks for the loving care and kindness provided to Harry by the staff and nurses at Mountain View Nursing Home.
Memorial donations in Harry’s honor may be made to your charity of choice or John and Mae Wortman Scholarship Fund, United Methodist Foundation Western Methodist North Carolina Conference, 131816 Professional Center Drive, Suite 100, Huntersville, North Carolina 28078.
