Personal Life
Austin and his wife had three children and several grandchildren. His wife of 39 years, Patricia, died in a car accident near St. Augustine in 1996; he was a passenger and was also injured, but recovered. In 2003, he married Connie Green; they divorced in 2006. The Ed Austin Regional Park in Arlington was dedicated in 2005, and a $150,000 endowed scholarship was established at the University of North Florida during 2008 in his honor.
Austin was recovering from heart surgery several weeks prior, but had not experienced complications. He died in his sleep on April 23, 2011. At his funeral on April 28th, the casket was carried by an honor guard members from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Samuel Johnson Howard, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida delivered a eulogy; current Mayor John Peyton and former mayors Jake Godbold, Tommy Hazouri and John Delaney attended the service.
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