Sidney Morris Austin Iii

Sidney Morris Austin III was born December 25, 1945, in Monroe, Louisiana, near where decades of Austins had lived. He grew up in Louisiana and Texas, where he married Mary Lee Parrish. In the early 1970s, Mr. Austin served in the US Navy as a SeaBee (We Build, We Fight), which took him to Guam and California, where both of his sons were born. He settled in Vidor, TX, and after many years in the auto parts business, retired early to enjoy a life of faith, family and friends. Mr. Austin passed away on January 25, 2021, after a battle with COVID-19. Dad was devote in his faith, an important part of who he was. He met my mother while leading music at New Cherry Grove Baptist Church in Gist, Texas, which he attended several times a week the rest of his life. Like his father and brothers, he remained active in music ministry, love of singing. Dad had a strong work ethic. He worked in the auto parts business, eventually running his own auto-parts store for many years. Despite usually working six days a week, he made time to lead a Scout group and help coach baseball, neither of which he knew much about, but he still jumped in where he was needed for his sons. A family man. He was a man of integrity. Kindness. Giving, at times to a fault, which he really didn’t mind. Humble; not sure Dad would have cared for anything past a few lines in his obituary.
He loved being around people, but Mom once said Dad would be just as happy being by himself in a cabin on a mountain. To say he was mild mannered is putting it…mildly. He was very much live and let live. Even in the handful of times he felt the need to assert himself, it was on behalf of someone else. Dad was humble and stoic, although he probably never stopped to consider that; he just was. After having to retire early due to a stroke, Dad joked in the face of many difficulties while recovering, and said he actually felt a little grateful for having the chance to spend more time with Mom and family. That’s how he saw it, saw life. For Dad, there was no resentment, no self-pity, not ever. If you asked him, he’d say “What’s there to feel sorry about?”. He taught his sons what a good father is, what real love looks like, and that sometimes just being there is enough. Mr Austin is survived by his brother Charles “Ken” Austin of Houston TX, his sons Sid IV of Chagrin Falls, OH, and Brian and his wife Misty of Vidor, TX, four grandchildren: Jenna, Sid V, Eva, and David, and a wealth of friends and family. He is now reunited with Mary Lee, the love of his life. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Sidney Austin's name to New Cherry Grove Baptist Church , (NCGBC) Building Fund: 114 CR 826 Buna, TX 77612.