Passages: Jacqueline Barbara Austin, 1941-2015

Jacqueline Barbara Austin, 1941-2015

It is with great sadness that I write these words: my mother passed away on Monday 22 June 2015 after a long illness. Many readers know that preserving my mother's stories during her struggle with early onset Alzheimer's Disease was one of the main reasons for starting Destination: Austin Family.

Below is Mom's obituary which I had written earlier in the year. I highly recommend that everyone compose an obituary now for not just their parents but themselves as well. A memorial service is being planned for August back home in Liberty, NY where I grew up and where most of my family and friends still reside.

Jacqueline Austin MacEntee

Jacqueline Austin MacEntee, former resident of Liberty, NY, died on June 22, 2015, at Mountainside Residential Care Center in Margaretville, NY after a long illness. She was 73 years old. 

The daughter of the late Alfred J. Austin and Anna Henneberg Austin, Jackie was born July 12, 1941, in Jersey City, NJ. A family statement reads: “Mom moved to Sullivan County as a young girl and raised two boys in Liberty while working at the New York Telephone Company, the Monticello Police Department and Mr. Willy’s in Forestburg. Many will remember her as an active, vibrant and gregarious woman who adored her children and grandchildren as well as all her family and friends. We are indebted to all those who helped out during the past 15 years while Alzheimer’s Disease slowly and painfully removed this bright light from our lives.” 

Survivors include two sons, Thomas MacEntee and his partner, George Arvanites of Chicago, IL, and Michael MacEntee and his wife Vicky Ferrell MacEntee of Charleston, SC; three sisters, Jo’el DeStefano of Toms River, NJ, Judith Froehlich of Honesdale, PA, and Jennifer Startup of Kerhonkson, NY; four brothers, Lawrence (Butch) Austin of White Sulphur Springs, NY, Lee (Jerry) Austin of Halcott Center, NY, Alfred Austin of Raleigh, NC, and Lemuel Austin of Loch Sheldrake, NY; five grandchildren, Amber Jane MacEntee, Corwin MacEntee, Conner MacEntee, Jacqueline Rose Pearson and Patrick Pearson, all of Virginia; and many nieces and nephews. Jacqueline was pre-deceased by sisters Patricia May, Joan Toher, June Finkle, and Julia Jackson. 

A memorial service is planned for August, 2015 in Liberty, NY. 

Donations in memory of Jackie can be made to: Catskill Area Hospice, 1 Birchwood Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Source: "Obituaries," Times-Herald Record (Middletown, New York), electronic newspaper, archived, (http://recordonline.com: accessed 24 June 2015), obituary for Jacqueline Austin MacEntee.

© 2015, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.