Jessica-Elise Turner Austin, born October 29, 1980, in Monroe County, Mississippi, passed away Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at George Washington Medical Center, Washington, D. C. She was many amazing things!
Her personality can only be described as “boundless” in nature, begging the question, “How did so much personality find its way into one body!?” She had a dangerously shrewd sense of humor and a frustratingly sharp intellect, and yet, she had room in her heart for all of those who had room in their hearts for others. She was fearless. She was a force of nature. She was everything to her family.
She greedily devoured and enjoyed life and her spirit lives on with us. Jessica was the second of four children born to Honorable Curtis H. Austin, Sr. and his wife, Qua Mattix Austin of Columbus, Mississippi.
She was educated in the Mississippi public school system and attended Demonstration School of Mississippi University for Women, Columbus Municipal School District in Columbus, Mississippi and Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science. Advanced degrees included a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Criminology and Georgia Institute of Technology in International Affairs.
She worked as a reporter for Argus Media. She worked as a market editor for The Oil & Gas Year. She worked as an analyst for Gryphon Scientific.
Throughout her childhood, Jessica attended Sanders Chapel CME Church.
Jessica-Elise is survived by her grandmother, Earline C. Mattix; mother, Qua Austin; brother, Curtis H. Austin and his wife, Emily Austin; sister, Whitney Austin Pointe and husband, Chauncey Pointe; beloved niece and nephew, Mikayla Pointe and Austin C. Pointe; aunts and uncles, John Edwina Mattix, Florette D. Mattix, Virginia Austin Howard, Mary A. Woodrick and husband, Rev. Bobby Woodrick, Peggy Austin Greene, Ineather Austin, Carol Austin Bryant, Dr. Cynthia Austin Melvin, Janice Coleman Ewiing and husband, Dr. Willie B. Ewing, Brenda Coleman Randolph and husband, Jerry Randolph and Dr. Carolyn Coleman Denard and husband, Don Denard.
The following relatives predeceased Jessica: her father; sister, Amelia Rebecca Austin; grandparents, Herman Austin and wife, Lucretia Brewer Austin, Nellie Turner Mattix and John E. Mattix; uncles, Harvey L. Austin, and Charles W. Austin.
In lieu of flowers, we would like for Jessica’s community to celebrate her life and commitment to being an Auntie by contributing to what she considered the most worthy of her priorities, the education of her niece and nephew. So please contribute to the GoFundMe Campaign titled “Education Fund in Memory of Jessica Austin”. The URL for the campaign is as follows: https://www.gofundme.com/education-fund-in-memory-of-jessica-austin.
Gifts in the form of checks can be made out to and mailed to her brother, Curtis H. Austin, at the following address: Curtis H. Austin, 1128 Florida Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002.
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