Obituary of John Austin

John Austin, 90, of Peabody, passed away on June 12 after a brief illness. Born in Derbyshire, England in 1926, he was drafted into the English Army at age 18 and fought in WWII as part of the 8th Army unit where he became a Master Armourer. After the war, he married the love of his life, Kathleen, and emigrated with her to Canada in 1958. They settled in Stratford, Ontario for 18 years then moved to the United States. John found his employment calling working for Speidel Watchbands for 20 years in Canada, Kansas and finally East Providence RI where he finally retired holding the position of Division Manager overseeing all aspects of the manufacturing and distribution process. An avid sailor and outdoorsman all his life, he always felt at home on the water and in the forest. A gifted gun collector and master gunsmith, he won many awards for his accuracy on the pistol and rifle range. Hunting and camping trips were a part of his life up until he was 88 years old, in his later years with his longtime friend John. His life was filled with long walks with his many dogs throughout the years, rebuilding cars, building canoes and kayaks and quietly sitting in front of his home drinking tea and watching the world go by. His love for life and his wife and daughter never wavered. John is predeceased by his wife who passed in 2013, and leaves behind his only daughter, Shelley Austin (Bradley) and her husband Paul of Salem, MA. he also leaves grandson Andrew Perogino and his wife Ashley of Syracuse, NY., granddaughters, Rachel and Meghann Bradley of Salem and great grandchild, Julius, of Syracuse. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father, great friend, amazing story-teller and as strong and charming an English gentleman as there ever was. Services will be private but Memorial donations may be made to the Brooksby Village Resident Care Fund, 200 Brooksby Village Dr., Peabody, MA 01960.