Tehachapi News

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Raleigh (Ben) Austin passed away in a car accident on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008; he was 73.

He was born June 28, 1934, to Raleigh B. and Rita Reo Austin, in Talaquah, Okla.  Ben married Helen Joyce Palmer on Oct. 10, 1952, in Tehachapi.

He served as a Kern County Supervisor, a member of the Tehachapi School Board and as a Kern County Sheriff officer for 27 years in California, 20 of which were spent as a commander of a substation in Tehachapi. His career in law enforcement began in 1955, when he was drafted by the U.S. Army and became a military police officer for the 505th battalion.

Ben was also active in the sports programs of Tehachapi High School. He attended Tehachapi High School and played football. His sons Kevin and Fletcher, both attended Tehachapi schools and Ben was instrumental in starting the Tehachapi Warrior Boosters.

Ben has been a public servant all of his life and had a strong commitment to helping others succeed. Even today people have stories to tell about how Ben affected their lives as teenagers and young adults.

After retiring from the 2nd District Supervisory position, Ben lived for a short time in Oregon and in Arizona before settling down in Lewiston, ID, where his son Fletcher lives with his family.

Ben loved children and literature and used those two loves to volunteer at Webster Elementary School in Lewiston. He worked with children in second through fourth grades, giving them one on one time to help with their reading. He used this passion as a type of therapy in dealing with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Ben is survived by sons and daughters in law, Kevin and Carrie and Fletcher and Carmen Austin; grandchildren, Zac, Caleb, Seth, Hannah and Ty Austin; siblings, Glen and Mary Austin, Ray and Nellie Austin, Wayne Austin, Linda Annis, Pat and Debbie Austin.

A funeral was held in Lewiston, ID on Thursday, Jan. 24. A Memorial Service will be held at the Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene, 19016 Highline Rd. at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29. In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to the Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club or The Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene.