Phillip "Craig" Austensen

Phillip Craig Austensen, known to his family and friends as Craig, unexpectedly passed away from heart failure on Thursday, April 19, 2024, at the age of 63 in Essex, Maryland. He was preceded in death by his father Phillip "Bruce" Austensen who passed away a month prior to Craig and his mother Suzanne Austensen who passed many years earlier. He is survived by his brothers Eric, Scott (Shelley), and Blake (Pamela) and four nephews and one niece: Adam, Zachary, Jacob, Kyle, and Kathryn.

Craig was born on February 14,1961, in Silver Spring, Maryland, to parents Bruce Austensen, attorney-at-law in private practice, and Suzanne Austensen, stay-at-home mom and later a research supervisor for Westat, Inc. He grew up in Howard County Maryland. His early years were spent in Ellicott City, Maryland. His family later moved to a farm in the western part of the county where he graduated from Glenelg High School in 1979.

After high school, Craig joined the Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a military police officer. One of his more challenging and memorable assignments was in 1980 when his unit was deployed to guard international refugees. He was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for his service during the Cuban Refugee Resettlement Operation in Miami, Florida. He was then awarded a Certificate of Achievement for outstanding meritorious service while supporting the Cuban Alien Relocation Operation at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

After serving in the Army, Craig worked at the Columbia Mall as a security guard supervisor and studied mass communications at Howard Community College. He eventually chose to postpone these endeavors to help care for his terminally ill mother until her death at the age of 54 from lung cancer. After his mother passed, he worked in retail for the remainder of his life. He continued studying journalism, screenplay writing, and filmmaking on his own for years. He spent his later years writing and submitting non-fiction and fiction screenplays to professional sources for their possible use in theater, television, and movies.

Craig was well read and had a passion for learning. When he entered someone's home, the first thing he would notice were the books on the shelves. Craig was a true bibliophile who loved books and had shelves stacked high with a variety of subjects from the classics and poetry to history and psychology along with screenplay writing and filmmaking. Friends and family knew him as a serious history buff and someone who knew numerous facts in great detail. Craig also was a huge fan of old movies and had an uncanny ability to remember the details of specific scenes. He especially enjoyed watching classic movies with friends and family.

Craig was a reserved person who was sometimes described by his friends and family as a "maverick". He was known for his strong will and independent thinking. He had a unique personality with a subtle sense of humor and genius intelligence. He was someone who always had an amazingly detailed story to tell you, something funny to say, or a playful prank up his sleeve. He had a huge heart and genuinely cared about others. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.