Hans Wilhelm Austad's Obituary
HANS WILHELM AUSTAD, 90 of Leesburg, Virginia passed on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Leesburg, Virginia.
Born Friday, November 23, 1934, in Bamble, Norway he was the son of the late Bjarne Austad and the late Maria Busk Austad. He is survived by his best friend of twenty plus years, Jean Comings, his stepsons Carl Schoner and Steve Schoner, and their 3 children and grandchildren.
He is predeceased by his wife, Nancy Truscello Austad and parents.
Hans was 6 years old when the Nazis invaded Norway in 1940 and 11 years old when Nazi occupation ended. In 1953 Hans entered the Norwegian military, where he served as a member of Norway's Royal Guard. After serving the military, Hans worked for a few years as a sailor in the Norwegian merchant shipping service, which brought him to America in 1958.
In 1959, Hans met Nancy Schoner at a dance at the Norwegian Seaman's House in New York City. Their relationship blossomed, and in 1962 Hans and Nancy and her two small children moved from New York City to Pomona, California and were married.
In 1963, Hans began working as a shipping clerk for Mitsubishi Corp. in Los Angeles, which led him to begin his own sideline business repackaging and selling shoes. Eventually this grew into a multi-company warehouse business, which he ran into his late 70’s.
Hans had many interests. He was an avid soccer player and fan, and favored Liverpool Football Club. He was proud of the racehorses he invested in, most notably "Cathy Charmer" who achieved considerable success. He loved to ski in his younger years, had an eye for sportscars, and loved to dance. He loved people, was a a faithful friend, and was known to sit for long hours to converse with those who were sick or lonely. He read everything he could get his hands on, absorbing every detail. He loved to talk politics and was proud to become a US citizen at 80 years of age.
Later in life, Hans met Jean Comings and they were together for 22 years. They traveled together to Norway many times to visit their extended families. They moved to Leesburg, VA to be closer to Jeans family in 2020 during the pandemic.
A memorial service will be held at the Norwegian Seamans Church in San Pedro, CA in July.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Hans’ honor to the Norwegian Seamans Church in San Pedro, CA or to Samaritans Purse.
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