COL. JAY M. AUGUSTENBORG 1949 - 2020 Colonel Jay M. Augustenborg passed away on February 16, 2020 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with his wife Elsa and brother Lon by his side. Born in Lynwood, California on October 1, 1949 to Air Force pilot Jorgen Augustenborg and wife Mabel nee Peterson, Jay was the oldest of three sons. His father, a Major, was killed in a military plane crash in 1958, influencing Jay towards a career in the Air Force from the age of 8. Jay graduated from South Gate High School in 1967 at the top of his class and was senior class President. He attended UCLA for one year before receiving a Congressional appointment to the United State Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation in 1972, Jay took a commission in the Air Force to follow in the family's tradition of service. He served six years of active duty and over 30 years in the Air Force Reserve, stationed at Air Force bases in Thailand, Germany, New Orleans, Florida, Portland, California, and Montana. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Afghanistan war following 9/11. Jay married his wife, Elsa, in Ireland in 1975. Their daughter Cara, was born in Germany while Jay was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Force Base. Jay left full time military service to work as an engineer at Corning, Pennsylvania and later for Schlumberger, based in Abu Dhabi and New Orleans. While in New Orleans, Jay also volunteered as a reserve officer for the New Orleans Police Department and continued work as an Air Force Reservist, traveling to Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean to support the construction of local schools and hospitals. Jay and his family moved to Richland, Washington in 1992, for his job as a manager in the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) on Hanford nuclear waste clean up operations. Jay continued his Air Force Reserve service as a Commander at Portland Air Force Base and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1996. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003. In 2005, following Hurricane Katriona, Jay returned to New Orleans to help restore power to the city. He retired from DoE in 2006, spending much of his new found free time on the golf course (recently making his 4th hole-in-one) and volunteering with the American Red Cross and Richland Police Department. Jay's only grandchild was born in Ireland in 2010, causing Jay to make frequent visits to the Emerald Isle in his later years to spend time with his beloved grandchild and daughter. He is preceded in death by his father Jorgen and mother Mabel, and is survived by his brothers, Lon and Ned; wife Elsa; daughter Cara and granddaughter Eva, along with 18 nieces and nephews from the USA and Ireland. Jay was interred at West Point Military Academy with full military honors on February 21, 2020. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to American Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/donations.
Published in Tri-City Herald on Mar. 4, 2020