AUSTIN, Margaret Eloise (Jones) - b. July 23, 1922 - d. September 14, 2014

[patyrn]

Margaret Eloise Austin, 92, of Severy, Kansas, passed away at her home on September 14, 2014 surrounded by all of her children.  She was born July 23, 1922 to John H. and Maude (Schappel) Jones in Wichita, Kansas, the first of three children.

Eloise grew up and attended schools in Wichita, Kansas, including two years at Friends University.  She joined the War Effort in 1942 working at Beechcraft.  She met her future husband, Robert Leon Austin of Rosalia, Kansas, in 1940.  They married after the war on December 23, 1945 and moved to Peck, Kansas where they farmed and started their family with Roberta Fay, followed by Jack Ray.  The family then moved to Towanda, Kansas where they farmed, and here Charles Miles and Rebecca Rose were born.  In 1953, the family moved to Severy, Kansas where Robert Lyn, Alice Rogene, and Mark Duane were born.

Eloise and Bert continued farming, raising cattle, and trucking during the next several years.  Eloise managed Austin's Cafe at the Severy Junction.  In the late 1960s, she ventured into healthcare working first at Fredonia Mercy and then ending her nursing career at Greenwood County Hospital in Eureka, Kansas in 1989.  Along the way, there were many expansions to her family.  Her legacy includes 24 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-greats.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, and her husband.

Eloise had long been a member of the Severy Nazarene Church since moving there in 1953.  She was one of the first members of the church and held many posts over the years.  The church and her love of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, led her to have her children in church every Sunday.  Elise also belonged to the Lend-A-Hand Club and the UMW.  She was also one of the founding members of the "unofficial" Severy Ladies Coffee Club.  Her sunny disposition, ready smile, and general interest in others were traits that characterized her.  She loved people and was always quick to turn conversations to how the other person was doing, not how she was doing, even as she grew more and more ill.

Eloise's hobbies and interests included quilting, gardening, fishing, and seeing new places, but her truest pleasure was spending time with her family and her friends.  Her zest for life has left many beautiful memories for her entire family to cherish.

There will be a visitation on Tuesday evening, September 15, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Countryside Funeral Home in Howard, Kansas.  Funeral services will be held at the Severy Nazarene Church on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.  Memorials have been established with Severy Nazarene Church, the Severy Senior Center, and Asera Care Hospice.  Countryside Funeral Home, 206 E. Washington, Howard, Kansas 67349 is in charge of arrangements.

(taken from the Countryside Funeral Home website)