Austin C. Behan

Wake Forest - Austin C. Behan passed away peacefully with his family present, on Saturday May 3, 2025, at Transitions LifeCare Hospice Home, in Raleigh, NC. He was 79. Born on October 24, 1945, in Erie, PA, he was the son of Austin C. Behan, Sr. and Adelaide Greiner Behan. He graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, received his B.S. from Indiana University of PA, his Masters of Education from Edinboro University of PA and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1983. Austin began his law career in private practice in Winston-Salem and continued until his retirement in 2011.

Prior to attending law school Austin was employed by the School District of the City of Erie as a speech and hearing clinician and also as a school psychologist.

Austin was a member of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Winston-Salem where he served as a Eucharistic Minister. He was an enthusiastic member of an Irish organization, the Hibernian Society of Winston-Salem which welcomed everyone who had an interest in Irish history and culture. He especially enjoyed smoking and serving pork Bar-B-Q in his backyard every summer for their annual picnic. Austin became a Master Beekeeper after joining the Forsyth County Beekeepers Association and later kept beehives on his hobby farm in Pfafftown along with various farm animals and two Great Pyrenees. Over the years Austin also enjoyed reading, traveling, snorkeling and most of all time spent with his family and friends.

After Austin and Mary Jean Hayes married in 1981, they made their home for over forty years in Pfafftown, NC and Clemmons, NC, before moving in 2023 to Wake Forest, NC, to be close to family. Austin was a devoted and loving husband, son, brother, uncle, and nephew and will be deeply missed by all those who knew him and loved him.

He was predeceased by a special nephew, Daniel DeMarco.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jean; a favorite aunt, Dr. Joyce H. Shealy of The Cypress, Charlotte, NC; four sisters: Mary Ann (Robert) Glance of Erie, PA; Roberta (Robert) Yaklich of Beltsville, MD; Adelaide (Edward) Jacobson of White Rock, NM; and Jane (Salvatore) DeMarco of Greenville, NC; a sister-in law, Joan H. Rocha of Dillon, SC; a brother-in-law, Joseph T. Hayes, III (Sandra) of Wake Forest, NC; special nephews and nieces Paula Hayes, MD, Jack Hayes, Esq., Benjamin Hayes, Robert Glance, Esq., Justin Glance, Mary Glance, Megan Glance, Robert Yaklich, Roberta Yaklich, Jay Yaklich, Sebastian DeMarco, MD, Rikki DeMarco, and Austin Jacobson.

The family would like to extend a very special thank you to all the staff and volunteers at Transitions LifeCare Hospice Home in Raleigh who made Austin's final days peaceful and comfortable.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Reverend Basil Sede at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 520 West Holding Ave., Wake Forest, NC on Thursday May 22 at 11:00 am.

The family will receive friends at a nearby restaurant immediately following the service. Burial will be at Hayes High Hill Cemetery in Lake View, SC later in the summer with arrangements through Cooper Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making memorial contributions to Transitions LifeCare Hospice Home, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Please visit www.brightfunerals.com to share words of comfort to the family.

Bright Funeral Home is serving the Behan family.