WOLFEBORO, NH-Stanley “Bill” Francis Austin, 80, of Wolfeboro NH passed away on December 16th, 2018 at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH after many years of courageously battling multiple health issues, including diabetes.
Stan is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Linda (Spraker) Austin, his daughter Valerie (Austin) Giovinazzo, her husband Jorge Giovinazzo, his granddaughters, Gabrielle Giovinazzo and Angela Giovinazzo, all of North Carolina. His sister-in-law Mary Austin of New York, his nieces Lindsey Austin and Danielle (Austin) Ghoneim and his nephew Michael Austin. He was preceded in death by his son Douglas Austin of Rochester NH, his brother Robert Austin and his parents Stanley Frederick Austin & Mildred May (Ettinger) Austin of Needham, Massachusetts and Wolfeboro, NH.
Stan or known to his family as “Bill”, was born in Sebago Lake, Maine in 1938, and grew up in Steep Falls, Maine. In his younger years, he hunted deer in the woods of Maine, swam and boated on Sebago Lake and later at his family cottage on Lake Wentworth, in Wolfeboro, NH. He attended Standish High School, and at 6’3 was an outstanding athlete. He played basketball, and as catcher for the baseball team was invited to attend the Yankee training camp, but he chose to attend college and marry his high school sweetheart, Linda from Limington, Maine. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wentworth Institute in Boston, Massachusetts and had a successful career as a Mechanical Engineer in Tension Control Systems at the following companies: SD Warren, Westbrook Maine, where a patent was issued on a tension device he developed, Kidder Press in Dover NH, and then Application Engineer and Field Sales Manager at CMC Controls, where he had published articles on tension systems. He then worked at Dover Flexo until his retirement. Bill loved traveling for his work and was always the one called to “fix” the problem at work, and at home. Bill was an excellent and avid golfer and enjoyed annual trips with his wife, Dave and Darlene Edgecomb of Windham Maine, to Myrtle Beach, NC. While he was often a man of few words, he was extremely knowledgeable about many subjects due to his love of reading the paper, the Farmers Almanac and watching the news!
He and his wife spent many wonderful years retired at their home on Lake Wentworth, and recently began spending winters near their daughter and her family in North Carolina. While they had plans to move there permanently next year, Linda is now planning on living there. He was a warm, loving and kind-hearted husband, father, grandfather and friend, and while we are deeply saddened by this loss, we are eternally grateful to God to have had such a a wonderful man in our lives.
Bill’s funeral will be December 20th at the Limington Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Limington, Maine on 302 Sokokis Avenue, for a 1:00pm viewing and a 2:00pm church service. Friends and family will be gathering at a family members home after the service.
In lieu of flowers you may donate to the American Diabetes Association, Memorial Giving, in his name.
Arrangements are with Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home, Cornish, www.mainefuneral.com