Mr. Donald Lee Austin, age 80, of Grissom Creek section of Council, Virginia passed away Wednesday (April 12, 2023) at his home. Born September 19, 1942 in Trammel, Virginia, he was a son of the late Robert Emmitt and Myrtle Austin. A lifelong resident of the area, he was a 1961 graduate of Council High School. He was a devoted Christian and a member of the Back Grissom House of Faith, a church that he had the vision to build. He was a co-founding member of the Council Volunteer Fire Department and had served as Chief for thirty-five years. He supervised the construction of both Council and Davenport Fire Stations. He was appointed as Forest Warden by Governor Chuck Robb and had dedicated a total of forty-seven years to fire service. He was a hard-working man, having been employed as a logger, sawmill operator and bull dozer operator, when he wasn’t working on the job, he stayed busy with yardwork and keeping up his house. When his children were small, the family enjoyed spending his days off together by packing a picnic lunch and going for a drive.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers, Maxwell, Eugene, Harold, and Bobby Austin, and five sisters, Maudine Combs, Vilene Hess, Lorene Taylor, Betty Harris, and Juanita Austin.
Survivors include his wife of sixty years, Betty Ruth Sullivan Austin of the home; four children, Rebecca Austin of Abingdon, Donna Fuller of Venia, Patty Hess of Lake Lyman, South Carolina, and Terry Austin of Council; grandchildren, Justin Fuller and wife, Mandy of Glade Spring, Andrew Hess of Greenville, South Carolina, Danielle Fuller and fiancé, Joshua Graham of Bristol, Hannah Tomlinson and husband, Zachary of Easley, South Carolina, Allison Austin and Matthew Austin, and their mother, Toni Austin all of Council; Braden Rasnake, Luke Rasnake, and Hunter Rasnake all of Council great-grandchild, Watson Fuller of Glade Spring; four siblings, Catherine Johnson, Billy Austin, Carson Austin, and Linda Wallace; several nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00 PM Saturday in the Honaker Funeral Home Chapel, Honaker, Virginia with Revs. Zachary and Hannah Tomlinson officiating. Interment will follow in the Austin Cemetery at Venia, Virginia.
Pallbearers will be Justin Fuller, Matthew Austin, Andrew Hess, Joshua Graham, Jason Austin, and Mark Austin.
Honorary pallbearers will be Members of Council Volunteer Fire Department.
The family will receive friends at the Honaker Funeral Home on Saturday from 11:30 – 1:00 PM.