Submitted by a member of his department

Roy Austin was born on October 30‚ 1929 in rural West Tennessee. Roy was raised on a farm in the Sardis‚ TN‚ area. He had siblings consisting of three brothers and two sisters. He attended and graduated from Sardis High School in 1951. After high school‚ he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953 as a transport driver.

After returning from his service to his country‚ Roy met and married the former Wilma Ann Crowell. Roy and Ann were happily married 50 years. Roy and Ann were dedicated members of Sinner’s Hope Church in Sardis‚ TN.

Roy was a farmer‚ raising crops of corn and beans. He loved to spend his spare time fishing. He encountered a lifetime friend after a stray dog wandered up to him. Roy called this dog ‘dog.’ I can still see them riding through the cornfield together on the tractor. He took Dog everywhere with him.

In 1982‚ Roy joined the Henderson County (TN) Fire Department as a volunteer with Station 5. Roy was not a quitter and always dedicated himself 100% when he made a commitment. After committing to the Fire Department‚ Roy became a vital asset to our station. He kept everything fixed and all the service done on our trucks. Anytime we needed anything fixed we would call on Roy to fix it for us.

Roy was a second father to me as to other members of Henderson County‚ TN‚ Station 5. Most of the junior firemen called him ‘Pop Roy.’

We think of Roy every day. He touched our lives in so many ways and will be truly missed by us all.