Joseph Austin

It's 2021 and I still think of Joe daily, especially as I pass the places in LA he took me to dine which are now all closed! I often wonder what he's think about the year of the pandemic and I'm sure
he would have something very insightful to say. I miss him more than I can say. I enjoy reading the other tributes as many of those who wrote are people Joe would tell me about. NO ONE can replace Joe in my life. Can' really find a word to describe my
relationship with Joe--more...

I first met Joe in the mid-1990s. As a young artist with no real understanding of contemporary art, Joe took me in hand and educated me about the modern genre. On many occasions over the following years he shared with me works from his collection - at his loft, at the beach, on display at his firm, and on loan to galleries, explaining the unique nuances of each piece and why they were special to him. I learned so much. More than anything Joe taught me to always look deeper and see more. I...

June 22, 2013

I was so blessed to call Joe my friend and as I process his passing there are no adequate words to describe what I feel. Our friendship began nearly sixty eight years ago in Marshalltown, IA and we always shared so much; a special bond that I shall always honor.

Joe lived his life to the fullest and with all of his accomplishments he was exceptional, as a human being. His life was lived with love, with compassion, with conscientiousness, with integrity, with...

I served on the Board of Directors of Jenesse Center, Inc. with Joe. I found him to be highly intelligent, kind, generous, helpful and handsome. I am very happy that our paths crossed in this thing called life. I will miss him.

Pat Greene

As Joe's sister-in-law's sister-in-law, I only had the pleasure of socializing with Joe a handful of times in total through the years. He was always totally present, interested, interesting, warm and engaging. I am very saddened to not have the pleasure again.

Joe and I were fraternity brothers at Coe and roommates our senior year. We were good friends and Joe was an attendent when Judy and I were wed after graduation. We had similar interests and both left Coe for law school. I recall the nights when we found ourselves in deep discussions that were about life, God, the world, Government, (and Coe campus issues). We stayed in contact over the years and made sure to connect at Coe reunions. I truly grieve his death. His common sense, efforts to...

I admired Joe so much, and he set the bar so high for being both an outstanding athlete and a gifted student. He was one of the heroes on the MHS '56 Championship team to those of us on the '60 and '61 championship teams. When I got to Coe College - but well after he had graduated from there - the faculty let me know how he had set the academic standard and their expectations for students from Marshalltown. Needless to say, I came up just a bit short of his achievements. I enjoyed...

I met Joe through my husband, Katsuhisa Sakai. Joe was an avid collector of Sakai's sculptures. He was one of our dearest friends for more than 30 years. When my son Sakae was thinking about studying law, Joe gave Sakae good advice. When Sakae passed the bar, Joe celebrated with us. When Sakae got married in Vancouver last summer, Joe came to the wedding. He was Uncle Joe.

But what made Joe very special to me was that he and I were both born in March, only three days apart. So we...

Joe, you will be sorely missed. I only wish I had taken more opportunities to spend time with you. I will forever remember, and fondly, afternoons at your home in Silverlake watching the plants take root. With love, Adam