Michael Scott Austin, age 29, passed away unexpectedly on May 2, 2015, at his home in El Mirage, Arizona. He was born on January 19, 1986, in Phoenix, Arizona. Michael is survived by his parents, Robert and Debra Austin of Glendale, Arizona; his older sister Ann Marie Porter, brother-in-law Kent Porter, niece AnnaBeth Porter, and nephew Mason Porter of Gilbert, Arizona; his younger sister Angelica Austin of Glendale, Arizona; and grandparents, grandaunt and granduncle, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins throughout the United States.
Michael lived most of his life in Glendale, Arizona, attending Desert Palms Elementary School, where he was a member of the National Junior Honor Society, and graduating from Ironwood High School in 2004. While in eighth grade at Desert Palms, Mike was presented with the 1999 - 2000 N.J.H.S. Award “in recognition of excellence, in service, character, leadership, scholarship and service.” He played the alto saxophone and tenor saxophone in junior high and high school, where he was a member of the Peoria District Honor Jazz Band, high school marching, concert, and jazz bands, as well as Phoenix “City Jazz” band, participating in numerous jazz, concert, and marching band festivals and competitions throughout Arizona and California. While a member of the Ironwood High School jazz band, he was the recipient of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award during the spring semester of his senior year.
Mike’s favorite activities while growing up were watching and acting out movies, playing video games, hanging out with various school friends, and cheering on the Phoenix Roadrunners at weekend hockey games. He especially enjoyed the family Christmas and summer cabin vacations in Pinetop, Oak Creek Canyon, Payson, Strawberry, and Forest Lakes where he would spend his time catching horny toads or following deer and elk tracks, hoping to spot one of these majestic forest animals.
After graduating from high school, Mike joined the United States Army, however, his Army career was cut short when he was medically discharged during boot camp in Georgia. He worked in customer service for various businesses before finally finding his ”home“ at Safeguard Security in November 2009 in the dispatch center where he was employed for nearly seven years as an alarm operator and a lead operator. Mike attained his Central Station Alarm Association Certificate early in his Safeguard career. He was well-respected and appreciated by supervisors and coworkers who described Mike as a team leader, a “go-getter,” hard worker, quick learner, someone who “would give you the shirt off his back” and “go the extra mile” for customers and coworkers alike. It was not uncommon for Mike to commute from El Mirage to Scottsdale on his day off to assist coworkers with car repairs. He also enjoyed fishing with family members of coworkers on his days off. Mike was described as a “gun fanatic” who would spend time at the shooting range with friends and coworkers and was “one of the best guys out there.” Mike enjoyed spending time with his family, especially during the holidays, and joining his family for the annual Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. He especially enjoyed spending time acting silly with his niece AnnaBeth and nephew Mason. Mike was a fun-loving uncle who just adored his niece and nephew. Mike aspired to one day fulfill his life-long dream of following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a police officer.
Visitation will be at 10:00am on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at West Resthaven Funeral Home and Cemetery, 6450 W. Northern, Glendale, Arizona, followed by a service at 11:00am with burial to follow immediately in the cemetery. A catered reception will be served in the reception room following the burial. Mike was truly an amazing, fun-loving, compassionate, and caring son and brother who will be forever missed by one and all. He touched the hearts of everyone he came into contact with and left a lasting impression on everyone.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Michael may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).
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