Sarah Lee Austin

Sarah Lee Austin, 63, of Paullina, Iowa, passed away 22 January 2022 at Ava's House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota following a brief illness. Joint Services for Sarah L. Austin, age 63, of Paullina and her sister, Jenny Lyster who both passed away on Saturday, January 22, 2022. Their funeral services will be at 1:00 P.M. Thursday, January 27, 2022, at the Church of Christ in Primghar with Pastor Mike Cooper ~ officiating. Burial for Sarah will be at Waterman Cemetery in Sutherland. Visitation with family present will be from 5 – 7 P.M. on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at the Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Primghar. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Sarah Lee Austin, to naminwia.org Sarah Lee Austin was born on June 11, 1958, in Cherokee, Iowa to James and Evelyn (Hintz) Austin. She was the youngest of six children, and her birth made the blended Austin family complete. She grew up on the century farm in the Little Sioux River Valley at the bottom of Austin Hill between Sutherland and Peterson. In 1976, she graduated from Sutherland Community Schools and welcomed her daughter, Elizabeth Anne. Her revolutionary spirit led her to be one of the first women in her high school to challenge the expectation of wearing skirts to school by wearing jeans instead. After moving to the Chicago area in 1985, she continued to defy the status quo by leading the charge to unionize her workplace. It was in Northbrook, Illinois that she met Anthony "Tony" Mazur. They were married at Grace Lutheran Church in Northbrook, Illinois in 1987. Their daughter, Ashley Evelyn, was born later that year, joining Elizabeth, Chris, and Paul, completing their blended family. In 1995, Sarah returned to the wide-open spaces she had desperately missed, settling into an acreage north of Paullina, Iowa where she lived until her death. Sarah loved sewing, gardening, her hot tub, cooking, and hosting holiday gatherings. Her compassion and love of animals led her to rescue a menagerie of more than 8 different species, including her watch-goose Jack. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Patricia Ann Austin, and Karen Kay King Vernon; a brother, Kenneth Keith King; and nephew Robert Frederick Preusser. She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth, and Ashley; stepsons Chris and Paul and their families; son-in law Gary; grandson Charlie; two sisters, Jane and her husband Don, and Jenny Lyster (who passed away 11 minutes later); her former husband of more than twenty-five years, Tony; favorite nieces, Gloria, and Kimberly; favorite nephews, Richard, Joshua, and Alex; many cousins and other extended family; and many cherished friends.