By Deborah Larsen
Allan Wendell Austin
Allan Wendell Austin was born in Mendota, Illinois, on May 22, 1924, the son of Delbert and Edith Hansen Austin. He grew up in Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan, and was employed by National Twist Drill and Tool Company by 1942. His parents lived in Avon Township.
In November 1942, Allan enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps, where he served in an anti-aircraft battalion based at Farmingdale, New York. He was released from military service in March 1946.
After the war, Allan married, started a family, and returned to work for National Twist Drill. He moved from Michigan to Florida in 1968, where he worked as a bridge tender on the Port Orange Bridge.
Allan Wendell Austin died at age 54 on July 3, 1978, and was laid to rest in Gatewood, Missouri, near his daughter’s residence.