PENOBSCOT – Esther Joyce (Leach) Austin, 70, passed away April 7, 2006, at a Bangor hospital. She was born April 26, 1935, in Castine, daughter of Dwight and Erma (Perkins) Leach. Esther worked at the Douglas W. Endicott Insurance Agency, Castine for 27 years and served as bookkeeper for H.W. Austin-Sons, Penobscot for 52 years. She had a great sense of adventure and traveled to Europe three times. She enjoyed sitting in her gazebo watching sunsets over Penobscot Bay. She was a member of the Penobscot Historical Society, Penobscot United Methodist Church and Clark High School Alumni Association. She was a Girl Scout leader for many years and served as ballot clerk for the Town of Penobscot. Esther is survived by her husband of nearly 53 years, James E. Austin of Penobscot; her kids, Benjamin Austin and wife, Sally, of Penobscot, Elizabeth “Libby” Rosemeier and husband, Scott, of Blue Hill, Marjorie Gray and husband, David, of Blue Hill, Jodelle Austin and partner, Todd Closson, of Portland, Ronald Austin and fiance, Ozlem Ozturk, of Los Altos, Calif.; grandchildren, Jessaca Gray, Jamie MacNair, Jennifer Gray, Sarah Cutter, Christopher Gray; great-grand-children, Natalie, Mercedes, Isabelle, Olivia, Skylar, Darrell Benjamin, Sophia; sisters, Rebecca Orcutt, Rose Grindell and husband, Halford, Margaret Austin and husband, Norris “Buster” Austin, Roberta Burbank; sisters in-law, Nancy Leach, Patricia Snell; and many much loved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Robert Leach. Visitation for family and friends will be 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, April 11, at the Mitchell-Tweedie Funeral Home, 28 Elm St., Bucksport. A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, at the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine, with the Rev. William J. Friederich officiating. Interment will be in Edgewood Cemetery, Brooksville. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Penobscot Historical Society, P.O. Box 64, Penobscot, ME 04476 or to the Clark High School Alumni Scholarship Fund, General Delivery, Penobscot, ME 04476.
ESTHER J. (LEACH) AUSTIN
