Barclay Austin Obituary (2009)

VASSALBORO - Barclay R. 'Bart' Austin, 80, passed away suddenly at his home in Vassalboro on Aug. 20, 2009, after a brief illness. Bart was born Sept. 17, 1928, in Hartland. He spent his childhood in Hartland and attended Hartland schools until his family moved to Vassalboro. He graduated from Cony High School in 1947. On Dec. 25, 1948, he married his life partner, Doreen, and they spent 60 years together; first living in an apartment at the family farm and, later, in the house he built. After his graduation, he worked on his family's farm and traveled around the state baling and selling hay. In 1951, he enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in the Azores, as well as several stateside bases. He achieved the rank of staff sergeant before his discharge in 1955. Upon his discharge from the service, he went to work for Depositors Trust Company, which later became KeyBank, until his retirement. At Depositors, he went from his first job of repossessing cars, to branch manager all the way up to vice president of operations -- property and security. Even while Bart held down a full-time job, he continued his education, attending American Institute of Banking, Williams College School of Banking and The Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. He also attended the University of Maine at Augusta. Bart was a longtime member of the Negumkeag Masonic Lodge, serving as its secretary. He was also a member of the Scottish Rite and the Shrine. He was a past president of the Maine 4-H Association and the Maine Banking Association. He also was a member of the Lions Club and often worked on the eye clinics. He served on the Board of Oak Grove-Coburn School. He was proud to be a dedimus justice, given the lifetime appointment by Gov. John Reed. Bart was well known for his practical jokes and outrageous stories. He could be particularly ingenious with his pranks, and many a person fell prey to his wicked sense of humor. Bart was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing. He loved disappearing to his camp in Langtown with his brothers, brothers-in-law or nephew, sometimes not coming out for weeks at a time, and always with some new wild tale to tell. He was particularly thrilled when his grandson inherited his love of the outdoors and delighted in teaching him all about hunting and fishing. Bart also excelled at horseshoes and bocce. Upon his retirement, he and his wife bought a winter home in Vero Beach, Fla. In Vero, he was able to compete in the Senior Games, winning gold medals in partner horseshoes. Another favorite retirement activity was entering contests. He received a monthly contest newsletter and would spend hours preparing and sending out entries. His prizes were mostly small, but he always loved the possibility of the Big Win. Most of all, Bart loved his family. He was very proud of his daughters and his two beautiful grandchildren, and made every effort to attend all of their school and athletic events. He couldn't wait for his granddaughter to complete driver's education so he could go for a ride with her and tease her about her driving. For him, a good night was Sunday dinner with his family, and a rousing card game of cribbage, To Heck With It or 99. Bart will be best known for his generous and loving heart. He was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed help, be it putting in a dock or lending money to help with school tuition. Everyone who met him was touched by his integrity, strength and good humor. Bart was predeceased by his parents, Carold I. and Dorothy (Drew) Austin; one brother, Douglas N. Austin; and twin sisters, Jean and Jane. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Doreen (Smith) Austin; two daughters, Dorie Ann, of Vassalboro, and Rae-Lynn and Col. John Jansen, of Winthrop; his two favorite grandchildren, Abigail and John 'JJ' Jansen Jr., of Winthrop; one brother, Bernard and Ruth Austin, of Bingham; five sisters, Meredith and Leo Latlip, of Marysville, Wash., Carolyn and Jeff Varnerin, of Sidney, Virginia Burgess, of Chelsea, Gail Skelton, of Richmond, and Nancy and William Thomas, of Augusta; his 'adopted' daughter, Rika (Kanda) and her husband, Naotoshi Yasuhara, of Chiba, Japan; several brothers and sisters-in-law and many cousins, nieces, nephews and good friends. Visiting hours will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Knowlton Hewins Funeral Home, 1 Church St., Augusta. Funeral services will take place at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, at Riverside Congregational Church in Vassalboro. Burial will be in Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Burn Care Center, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114; or the Kennebec Valley Humane Society, 10 Pet Haven Lane, Augusta 04330. Condolences to the family may be sent to www.khrfuneral homes.com.