GERALD "JERRY" AUSTIN

CLASS OF 1955
July 9, 1937 - Nov. 28, 2018
Gerald
Grant "Jerry" Austin passed away Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, in Oklahoma
City. He was the only son of George Arnold and Nella Barr Austin.
Born
July 9, 1937, in Hollywood, CA, the family soon moved back to Kansas
City, KS. In 1940, the family moved to Osawatomie, KS, where he
attended
all 12 years of school. In high school, he was class president for the
freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. He served as the
president
of KAYS his senior year and was the Grand Master of the local chapter
of Demolays. After graduation, he received a scholarship to the
University
of Kansas at Lawrence. It was here he met the love of his life. They
were married two years later on June 7, 1958, in St. Joseph, MO. In
1959,
Jerry joined The Fleming Company in Topeka, KS, where he
worked for 37 years. He started as a trainee and went on to become the
Director of
Personnel. He was appointed President of the Oklahoma
City division in 1975. In 1982, he was named president of the Eastern
Region of
Fleming. A troubled operation, under Jerry's leadership,
it was soon turned around and became profitable. In 1985, he and his
family returned
to Oklahoma City, where he was named Executive
Vice President of the corporation. In 1989, he was asked to take charge
of the Western
operations, consisting of eight large distribution
centers which were in trouble. This operation also turned around, and
in 1992, Jerry
and his wife returned to Oklahoma City, where he
was named Executive Vice President of Operations for the company. He
retired in 1996.
Jerry was a member of Chapel Hill United
Methodist Church beginning in 1983. He served in several positions
including Chairman of
the Board. He was active in a number of
fundraisers for projects of the church. He was also active on the first
major fundraising committee
for Legal Services of Oklahoma. Jerry
volunteered for Omniplex, now Oklahoma Science Museum, and served as
it's president for five years.
During his tenure, the Omnidome
was built, the first large screen theater in Oklahoma City. He was also
a member of the Fortune Club.
Jerry is survived by his wife of
sixty years. They have two children, Paul W. Austin and Kathy Austin
Pendarvis, both attorneys in Oklahoma;
and his one grandchild, Austin Pendarvis. He was preceded in death by his sister, Carol Austin Holloman, of Cincinnati, OH.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, at the Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.
The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Association
of Oklahoma, 2448 E. 81st St., Tulsa, OK 74137;
or to the Oklahoma Science Museum.