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Anna Josephine (Kelley) Austin, 92
Peacefully and with the grace in which she lived her life, Anna Josephine (Kelley) Austin (92) passed away at her daughter, Susie’s, home on March 13, 2018, and was welcomed by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While her family grieves her loss, we know Heaven has gained its newest saint, as she lived her life in service to others.
Jo was born in Missoula, Mont., on Aug. 31, 1925, to Frank and Elizabeth ‘Bess’ (Griffin) Kelley, the fourth of five children. She grew up in the shadow of the Bitterroot Mountains that she loved so much, and spent summers on Seeley Lake with her family.
Graduating from Missoula County High School in 1943, she then attended the University of Montana. She spent time during the war years in Los Angeles, helping to decode enemy documents. In 1947 she graduated with a degree in zoology and soon met a young airman fresh back from the war, Eugene C. Austin. They were married on Dec. 20, 1947 in Helena, Mont., thus beginning a union that lasted 67 years.
She was the consummate military wife, moving with Gene over two dozen times during his 20 years in the Air Force. From a typhoon in Okinawa to a deadly hurricane in Florida, she was the glue that held the family together. Similar challenges occurred upon Gene’s military retirement, when they settled in Pinehurst, Idaho, and were immediately met with historic floods (and later the eruption of Mount St. Helens). It was here that Jo began the next phase of her life, engaging her love of nature by teaching earth science at Kellogg Middle School. Her classrooms were renowned for a menagerie of all creatures, great and small. Local legend has it that a guest boa constrictor once escaped and nearly scared the night janitor to death.
Jo had a beautiful voice and sang with the Sweet Adelines. She and Gene spent their summers at Camp Easton, helping to grow the legendary Boy Scout camp into a regional meeting place. By the time she retired in 1986, Jo had taught and mentored more than 3,000 students in the Silver Valley. She then spent many summers with Gene at their beloved cabin on Lake Coeur d’Alene, where four generations of family have gathered to enjoy Austin family traditions. She had loved skiing as a teen and cross-country skied into her 80s on the Fourth of July pass with friends from the Silver Valley.
Jo’s family was always her greatest passion. She and Gene left Pinehurst in 1990 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. She was the grandma that always had home-baked cookies ready for the after school grandchild visit. From her Christmas Eve pageants to magical Fourth of July celebrations at the lake, Jo was always the loving mom and grandma. Jo’s gardens were a work of art and she was passionate about volunteering at Birthright for many years. She was dedicated to her Catholic faith and was a member of Catholic Daughters as a parishioner at St. Rita’s in Kellogg for 27 years. She was also a member of the Divine Mercy Bible study group at St. Pius X in Coeur d’Alene for most of the 21 years that she attended church there.
She leaves behind her six children, Tom (Chris) Austin of San Jose, Calif., Beth Hatcher of Coeur d’Alene, Dan (Linda) Austin of Spokane Valley, Wash., John (Denise) Austin of Rose Lake, Idaho, Susan (Wayne) Morrison of Rathdrum, Idaho and Patty (Jimmy) Morrison of Hayden Lake, Idaho. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Vince and Ray Kelley and sisters, Patty Ryan and Mary Fraher. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Gene, in 2015 and her son-in-law, Ed Hatcher, in 2018. She was much loved by her 28 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren, and will be missed by all who had the honor and the privilege to know her.
The family wishes to thank Hospice of North Idaho and her caregivers for their extraordinary service in her later years. A Mass and memorial service will be held for Jo at 10 a.m. on April 7, 2018, at St. Pius X, with a luncheon following at the same location. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. at the Riverview Cemetery at 1001 Lincoln Way in Coeur d’Alene. All of her family and friends are invited to attend and help the family to celebrate a remarkable woman, and a life greatly lived. Please visit Anna’s online memorial at englishfuneralchapel.com