Leo Manning Austian

  Leo Manning Austian ( Jun 11, 1915–Jul 5, 1940) Sparks, Lincoln Co., OK

Leo Austian was my mother's youngest brother. He was married to Avis Lee Neighbours Austian who happened to be my Dad's first cousin. Avis was the daughter of my Dad's uncle Ludy Neighbours.

Leo and Avis Lee Austian and their children Virginia Lee and Billy Babb, 1940

Leo was killed in a tragic accident on July 5, 1940. This happened just a couple weeks after a family gathering at my parents farm near Payson, Oklahoma on June 23, 1940, Below I have posted Leo's Obituary and several newspaper articles about Leo.

Photo from the Austian Family gathering, Payson, Oklahoma, June 23, 1940.

Brothers Leo and Alfred Austian, 23 Jun, 1940, Payson, Oklahoma

Leo Manning Austian

Obituary

Leo Austian's Daughter, Virginia Lee (Judy)

While travelling in Oklahoma and Texas in the fall of 2021, I had the pleasure of visiting my cousin Judy Skeen (AKA her birth name: Virginia Lee Austian) and her family. Judy's father was my my Uncle Leo Austian, my mother's younger brother. Judy's mother was Avis Lee Neighbors. Avis was my Dad's first cousin, the daughter of my Dad's Uncle Ludy Neighbors. So, Judy and I are first first cousins on my mother's side of the family and first cousins once removed on my father's side.

Jeanie Blake Neighbors and I had a wonderful visit, a wonderful dinner and we got to meet some of Judy's family. While I was there I was able to scan some of her family photos.

Thanks Judy and daughter Jodi Hutchinson Williamson and son Rhom.

As I explained above, Avis, Leo's wife was my Dad's first cousin, she was married to my Mom's younger brother (it's complicated). So, Judy is my first cousin on my Maternal side and my first cousin once removed on my paternal side. I don't remember being around Judy at all growing up but I think we must have seen each other a couple times in the mid 1950's at our Austian Grandparents house. I got in contact with her in 2021 when we both took Ancestry DNA tests. As you can imagine, being that we are "double cousins" we were a pretty close match in our dna.