Pauline

Obituary

Mary Pauline Austin

August 18, 1919 – August 30, 2023

Mary Pauline Austin, (born Mary Pauline Crisp), a Worland resident, passed away on August 30, 2023, 12 days after her 104th birthday. Pauline was the first child of Robert and Mary Jane Dunwoody Crisp, born on August 18, 1919, near Allen Reed, Texas. Pauline's parents were married at the historic Charlie Goodnight Ranch on June 30, 1918, which was the first ranch established in the Palo Duro Canyon area of the Texas Panhandle (the ranch dating to 1877).

Pauline grew up on her grandfather's cattle ranch which was surrounded by a much larger ranch owned by Charlie McMurtry (grandfather of Larry McMurtry, author of the 1985 novel, Lonesome Dove), Pauline would often see Mr. McMurtry in his Ford Model T automobile as she rode her horse to school located several miles away. He would often stop and chat with her for a few moments while enroute to conduct ranch business.

Following the divorce of her parents, Robert and Mary Jane Crisp when she was a child, Pauline lived with relatives until her father married Marguerite Merriman on September 12, 1928, after which she returned home to her father and his new wife, now her step-mother. After graduation from high school, Pauline attended and graduated from a business school in Lubbock, Texas, which subsequently provided her employment at a local bank.

In 1939, her father, Robert Crisp sold his ranch in the panhandle of Texas and relocated the family and ranching operations to Aztec, New Mexico. During this time, Pauline obtained employment at a bank in Los Alamos, New Mexico. On February 12, 1949, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she married Robert B. Austin, who was then employed as a Security Officer with the Atomic Energy Commission in Los Alamos, having previously served as a fighter pilot in the Army Air Force's 14th Air Force in the China-Burma-India Theatre under Major General Claire Chenault during World War II. Later in 1949, the married couple moved to Worland where Bob was employed with the U.S. Postal Service, and where their son Dale, daughter Donna, and son Darrell were born.

Much of Pauline's life was that of a devoted wife, mother and homemaker in an Air Force family. This began in January, 1953, during the Korean Conflict, when husband, Captain Bob Austin, re-entered the recently created separate branch of the military services, the U.S. Air Force (formerly the Army Air Force), and the family moved to Mather Field, California, near Sacramento where Bob underwent refresher flight and navigation training in various prop-driven aircraft, and continuing at Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama in the T-33 jet airplane. Pauline and the children joined Bob at Craig AFB in August 1953, after Bob completed jet fighter flight training, however, an armistice signed the previous month brought hostilities in Korean to a largely to a halt. Therefore, Bob was made a flight instructor (instructor pilot) at the base, allowing the family to settle in for a few years. Frequent reassignments were typical of the life of an Air Force family, and it required some adjustments, but Pauline enjoyed meeting new people and friends, seeing new places and experiencing new activities. While at Craig, she enjoyed raising her three children, becoming a member of and participating in activities in the Officer's Wives Club, gardening, family trips to the beaches in nearby Florida, and assisting the base's kindergarden and elementary school teachers during local field trips as a chaperon for the children of Air Force parents.

In 1957, husband Bob was given orders for reassignment to Wheelus AFB near Tripoli Libya, North Africa. Of course, Pauline and the three kids would be going along too. But first they would travel to Luke AFB, Glendale, Arizona (near Phoenix), for about six months where Bob would complete flight training in F-84 and F-100 fighters, prior to the family being sent to Wheelus in November.

From Luke, Pauline and the family drove their Ford station wagon across the nation to New York City, where after a few days of seeing the sights in the Big Apple, and they boarded the ocean liner, USS Geiger, as their household goods, their station wagon, and Bob's Cushman/Sears Allstate Motor Scooter were loaded on board, and steamed from New York harbor for eight days across the Atlantic Ocean, docking in Casablanca, Morocco. Disembarking, the family was escorted to nearby Sisi Slimane AFB by Air Force personnel and flown to Wheelus AFB over the course of several days by way Paris, Rome, and the Island of Malta.

After a week or so in the Officer's Family Quarters, Pauline and family moved into a large Italian villa, construction of which had just been completed as a duplex to also house a second USAF officer and his family as neighbors. This villa was located west of and approximately one-half hour's drive to Wheelus AFB, itself situated on the eastern edge of the larger city of Tripoli. During this time in Libya, Pauline owned a little British-made economy car called the Morris Minor, which she drove around Tripoli and on base, while Bob rode his motor scooter or drove the station wagon (depending upon weather and circumstances) to and from work (flying several USAF jet fighter aircraft). During this time, Pauline had occasion to garden, visit during family outings the nearby Roman ruins, local Mediterranean Sea beaches, landmarks, visit local markets, and the like, as well as take an approximately month-long tour of the Northern Mediterranean Sea areas, such as Greece and Pompeii by ship with other members of the Wheelus Officer's Wives Club.

In March 1960, Pauline and her family returned to the USA, where she and the children lived in Estancia, New Mexico with Robert and Marguerite Crisp (where her father now located ranching operations) while husband Bob was undergoing flight training at Nellis AFB, near Las Vegas, Nevada in the F-105 fighter-bomber jet aircraft. She and the kids rejoined Bob at Nellis AFB in June 1960, and resided there until conflicts in Southeast Asia heated up, resulting in Bob, now with the rank of Major, being assigned to combat duty in South Vietnam. In June, the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico so that Pauline could reside near the Crisp side of the family while Bob was overseas. Following a one-year tour in South Vietnam ending in June 1965, Bob was transferred back to Nellis AFB, therefore, Pauline and family returned to that location, where they resided until June 1967. Having obtained the rank of Lt. Colonel the previous year, Bob was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. This meant that Pauline and her family had to move again, so they headed east and settled in Alexandria, Virginia, located a couple of hours drive to the Pentagon and near Mount Vernon, President George Washington's home.

In August 1968, Bob was promoted to Colonel and chosen to attend the National War College in Washington, D.C, from which he graduated in June 1969. Since Bob was now facing a second tour of combat duty in Southeast Asia, Pauline and the family returned to Albuquerque while Bob would fly combat missions over North Vietnam based out of Takhli, Thailand. Returning to the USA in July 1970, husband Bob rejoined the family and they (excluding son Dale who was in the U.S. Army) traveled to his next duty station at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama, from which he retired from the USAF in September 1971.

Pauline's oldest son Dale competed his Army service at this time and returned to the University of Wyoming in September 1971 concurrent with Bob and Pauline returning to Worland in retirement, while daughter Donna and son Darrell were residing in New Mexico. Donna would soon move to Worland while Darrell would in time move to Thermopolis, then Worland and later, Billings, Montana. Bob purchased seven acres on River Road west of Worland and a couple of miles north of the cemetery, and together over the years Bob and Pauline greatly improved the property, turning portions of it from weeds, sagebrush, native grasses and prickly pear cactus to a landscaped home with green lawns, trees, many beautiful flowers, a large vegetable garden, garage, barn for horses, and several other outbuilding. Their vegetable garden became well known in town for an abundance of delicious cantaloupes for many years. Bob kept his foot in aviation by flying single-engine aircraft frequently from the Worland airport, flying part-time for the Platte Pipeline Company inspecting their underground pipeline from Worland to Nebraska, and enjoyed hunting/guiding and fishing until the last few years of his life. Pauline continued to garden, enjoyed embroidery, attending the Methodist church and related activities, was President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion for several years. She enjoyed the company of her family and friends, and when the work of keeping up their garden and property became too much for them in their advanced ages, they sold their River Road property and moved into a smaller home in town. Pauline's husband Bob eventually required assisted living in the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, passing away in February 2015. Pauline continued to live in her home on Yellowstone Avenue until 2018, when frailty caught up with her and she needed assisted ling and care in the WHRC. A fall in her room at the WHRC on August 25, 2023, resulted in a broken femur where it articulates with her hip, requiring hospitalization in at the Washakie Medical Center in Worland. Since Pauline was not a good candidate for surgery to repair her injury, she was discharged from the WMC back to the WHRC on August 28, 2023, to receive palliative/hospice type care for the duration of her life. Two days later, in the evening of August 30, 2023, Pauline passed away.

Pauline was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Bob Austin; daughter, Donna Crawford; half-daughter, Roberta A. Page Coker; step-mother, Marguerite Crisp; half-sisters Gladys Kincheloe and Peggy Leavell; grand-son, Jake Austin; daughter-in-law, Roseanne Austin. Survivors include her sons, Dale Austin of Casper, Wyoming and Darrell Austin of Billings, Montana; son-in-law, Gordon Crawford of Ten Sleep, Wyoming; half-sister, Beth (Everett) Statler of Cleburne, Texas; half-daughter, Jo-Dee Austin of Jameson, Missouri; grandchildren: Hillary (Josh) Reichwald of Worland, Wyoming; Jarrod (Tina) Austin of Parker, Colorado, and John (Adele) Bihr; and nine great-grandchildren.

Graveside services will be held 11:00 AM, Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at Riverview Memorial Gardens. Visitation/open casket viewing for family and friends will be held 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Bryant Funeral Home Chapel in Worland. Memorial donations may be made to Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and sent to PO Box 524, Worland, WY, 82401. Online contributions can be made at www.bryantfuneralhomeonline.com.