Arneta A. Austin

Arneta Agnes Austin nee Williams was born in Grayson County VA November 28, 1937.   She died peacefully in her sleep on February 13, 2024 at the age of 86.

Nita was born and raised in rural Virginia.  She loved wildflowers and being outdoors in nature.  She grew up in a log home and enjoyed telling her children stories of playing on a big rock above their home and swinging on native grapevines, having dresses made from feed sack cloth, being carried to the Forest Oak school in deep snow by her Dad, who went to school early to fire up the wood stove for the teacher and students.  She loved picking blackberries in the summer and was the fastest picker.

She met her husband, Bill Austin, in the 8th grade.  They married June 27, 1959 immediately following her graduation from the Lewis-Gale Hospital School of Nursing.  Nita worked at Waddell Hospital in Galax, VA in labor and delivery briefly after they married.  They moved closer to Blacksburg and Nita worked at the Catawba Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Catawba VA, while Bill finished his engineering degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.  Following Bill’s career track they moved to Lebanon, Va; the Isle of Palms, S.C., and then to Maryland where they lived in Accokeek and Bowie.  Arneta worked part time at Glendale Hospital in Glendale, MD for seven years, as a chronic care nurse.  She volunteered as a hospice nurse in Bowie, Md.  She had a special passion for hospice care. She volunteered as a docent at the American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery and enjoyed exploring Washington D.C.  Bill died in April 1990 and Nita moved to Roanoke, VA in 1999.  She moved to Alexandria in 2006 where she remained until the last few months of her life.

She married Gene Duff on July 7, 2007.  Gene and Arneta traveled between Gene’s home in Lexington, VA and her home in Alexandria for many years.  They traveled frequently to Chattanooga, enjoyed driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, and loved to attend concerts and visit museums together.  Gene passed away in April 2020.

Nita loved to travel and encouraged her kids and grandkids to “get out and explore the world”.  She enjoyed driving across the US and Canada, touring Europe with her kids, traveling the Mississippi river on the Delta Queen with Bill, as well as big adventures to Indonesia, Peru, Normandy, Israel, Sea of Cortez, and Alaska.   

Nita was predeceased by her husbands, Bill Austin and Gene Duff, her parents Palmer and Verna Williams, her sister Jean Servis, and brothers Jerry and Donnie Williams.  She is survived by her children Sherry (David) Huff of Galax, VA, Dana (Domingo) Austin of Arlington, TX, Richard (Cheryl) Austin of Springfield, VA, and step-daughter Karen Duff of Lexington, VA; six grandchildren, Carson, Austin, and Alex Fore, Brandon Rutter, Rachael and William Austin, and two great grandchildren, Ethan and Wyatt Fore; and she is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers please donate to Hospice of the Chesapeake https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/giving/ a cause near and dear to her heart, or Rutherford Manor LLC via check mailed to : 745 Governors Bridge Road Davidsonville MD 21035 where she received fabulous care during the last months of her life.