Beloved Eden doctor, school board member mourned

EDEN — Dr. Jim Austin, 56, long-time Eden physician and Rockingham County school board member, died of a sudden heart attack in his home Sunday morning.

Members of the medical community, patients and fellow school board members registered shock at his death. Condolences to Austin’s wife, Lisa, and three daughters, Stephanie, Anna and Sophie, flowed in from all over the county. Patients he guided through ill health remembered Austin for his kindness, and friends recalled his dedication to his work and his family.

“I think this is the biggest personal shock I’ve had in a long time,” said Elaine McCollum, chair of the school board. “I felt Dr. Austin had made such an impact on schools in the year and a half he’d been on the board. I will be at a loss because he always asked the questions that needed to be asked. He was always concerned about how our decisions affected the children.”

Though a doctor’s packed schedule left little free time, McCollum said Austin would spend hours researching problems facing the school district, and he gave advice to school employees when he found helpful information or asked if a fresh approach could and should be considered.

“He would ask what does the data and research say about a particular issue,” said Superintendent Rodney Shotwell. “I felt like he pushed me to be a better administrator by digging deeper than the surface to find information.”

He contributed much in his elected position, but his patients considered his medical practice to be his greatest service to the community.

In 1982, Austin joined Eden Internal Medicine, a practice begun four years earlier by Drs. James Parsons and Paul Fiore. Parsons said the bright young doctor fresh from his residency in Michigan was more than qualified to join their practice, doubly so because he sought a position in a small town.

“At that time, we didn’t know about his special qualities,” Parsons said. “We found out very quickly his knowledge of medicine and ability to handle complex problems was superior. He was never the kind of physician that would say, ‘Here’s a pill, hope it works.’ He gave patients all the time it took for them to explain their problems and for him to explain the treatment and would call to check up with them to see it was working.”

Quickly, Parsons found Austin to be one of the brightest people he had encountered but was unaware his great mind was unique. He assumed that most everyone was as intelligent as he was, Parsons said, but was happy to explain concepts to anyone having difficulty grasping them. Colleagues found it was not just enough for Austin to know the disease and the cure — he wanted things to work perfectly. He accepted few half-solutions or mysteries.

“He had a different kind of mind. He was a kind of doctor we’ll never be able to replace,” Parsons said.

Before he retired, Lonnie Sechrist was principal of Douglass Elementary School, where the Austins sent their daughters. The two met when Austin became treasurer of the Douglass PTSO, a rare volunteer position for someone working such long hours. Barring the occasional medical emergency, Austin was at every meeting, punctual and eager to plan.

“He was the only doctor I’d known to be part of the PTSO. And I really wonder how he found the time,” Sechrist said. “His children were a huge priority to him, and he wasn’t the type to blow off a responsibility once he’d taken it on.”

Sechrist’s mother later became Austin’s patient. Her health declined, and the stress of it affected Sechrist’s father, until both needed close medical attention. Sechrist felt overwhelmed and turned to Austin.

“Finally, I called Jim. I said ‘I need some help. I don’t know that I can handle this situation,’” Sechrist said. “I told him that putting two elderly patients on him was a lot, but I hoped he could see dad. Jim said, ‘Bring him down here Friday morning. I’ll clear my schedule and spend as much time with him as we need.’”

Austin’s empathy for his patients’ feelings, as strong as his knowledge about their health, won admiration from many people.

“He is my physician and my friend,” Sechrist said. “I have never known anyone as intelligent or as concerned about other people.”

Austin was continually surprising his colleagues with the ease he balanced his knowledge and intelligence with love of his family and indulgence of his three daughters.

“I don’t think there was anything he’d rather do than spend time with his girls,” Parsons said. “They were everything to him.”

The fondness displayed in the way Stephanie, Anna and Sophie described their father reflected the time he spent with them. Stories of his boundless drive to learn and improve flowed one after another. He kept books in his car to read in his spare minutes, he taught himself everything he believed he needed to know about home improvements and car repair, and tagged along on the girls’ shopping trips provided he could slip into a bookstore for an hour or four to catch up on everything new and interesting in the world.

“One thing about him, nothing was off limits for his patients,” said Stephanie. “He loved everybody and wanted to make absolutely sure they were OK and they were healthy.”
“It could be Friday night and someone could call him about an ailment,” said Anna. “And he’d say ‘Sure, just come on over.’”

They remembered the patients he brought to Sunday dinner and the time he spent outside the clinic answering questions about new medications and bothersome symptoms.

“His patients loved him,” Anna said. “They would bring him huge bags of vegetables from their garden.”

“And the man loved desserts,” Stephanie said. “One of his patients would always bring him these cookies he loved. He’d keep them in the refrigerator in the breakroom and would sneak back there all day to eat them one at a time.”

They also recalled their father’s endless supply of energy. He sometimes augmented three hours of sleep with five minute catnaps when he could, but the amount of life he fit into one day still amazed the children he raised.

“That’s just how he was. I don’t know if he could retire because he couldn’t sit still,” Anna said.

“And he thought that everyone worked just as hard as he did. He was thankful to everyone, even if they were serving him tea, he always said you should return the care and concern you get from others,” Stephanie said.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fair Funeral Home and other times at the home. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at Fair Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens.

Staff writer Heather J. Smith can be reached at or 623-2155, ext. 15.