On Saturday, January 4th, 600 people from young to old gathered at University Presbyterian Church to honor Austin Regier, a standout Burienite. Another 400 joined via live stream worldwide, including Spain, where Regier spent the past year as an American Magic racing yacht crew member competing in the America’s Cup.
The memorial service made clear that Austin was a very unusual young man. In 27 short years, he had proven his world-class athletic bona fides, Gold Medalist, and NCAA rowing champion while winning the hearts of friends worldwide. In story after story, his warmth and interest in others came from around the globe.
Everywhere Austin went, he made new friends and listened attentively to their stories. He was also a man of great faith and shared his love of Jesus. Those who had been with him were amazed that someone so athletically discipled and accomplished was far more concerned about others and their lives than his medals and fame. As one person said, “Athletics is what he did. Jesus is who he was.”
This video is of the UW Crew team in their tribute to Austin. A seat was left open in the eight-man shell as the team went out on the water. A tribute to the life well lived was completed at the ceremony.
Burien has lost a unique son. A city rarely produces a world-class athlete.
Just as rare is world-class character. In Austin, Burien had both.
2 Responses
I’m curious why he died.
Austin died in a diving accident.