‘Trailblazer’ East Texan Sissy Austin dies as 83
JACKSONVILLE, Texas (KETK) – Longtime banker, aerospace engineer and East Texas native Laurel Ann Phillips Austin, better known as Sissy, died Thursday at her home after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
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Austin was 83 years old. A celebration of her life will be held on Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. at the First Methodist Church in Jacksonville with Rev. Bonnie Osteen officiating.
Known locally for her leadership at Austin Bank, she was awarded the Texas Bankers Association 50 Year Banker award in 2022. Before that, her career started after a visit to NASA Space Center in Houston.
“She noticed that one of the engineers was struggling with a mathematical problem,” according to Austin Bank. “She asked for a pencil, quickly solved the equation, put the pencil down and smiled. This action led to being recruited by NASA where she started in June 1963 as one of the first female aerospace engineers, and later at a private consulting firm, TRW Systems, Houston.”
Her team created equations and programming used in the Apollo projects to track missions. She served the space program for nine years before returning to her hometown of Jacksonville with her husband, Jeff Austin, Jr.
Previously, she had been named Jacksonville Citizen of the Year, served as Chairman of the Board of Stephen F. Austin State University, was the first female president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Cherokee Country Club, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville, Chairman of the Trinity Mother Frances Hospital System and more.
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“Sissy was an approachable and sincere mentor to many,” Austin Bank said in a release announcing her death. “As a trailblazer for progress, she shared her knowledge with fellow bankers and advice seekers. A common phrase around the bank is: ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way Sissy told you.’ These words will always ring true, and many of us will always ask ourselves: ‘What would Sissy do’?”
To honor Austin, her family asks that you “perform an unsolicited act of kindness for someone in need.” Instead of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to the Hospice of East Texas and the Jacksonville Education Foundation.
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