Derek Douglas Austin was born on December 17, 1971 and passed away on September 8, 2023 at the age of 51.  Derek nearly pulled off a miraculous recovery from an acute brain infection, talking and walking just two days before his death.

Derek grew up on Moran Prairie playing in the Palouse outside Spokane.  His parents noticed his appetite for adventure at an early age, calling him "dare bear" when they introduced him to his teddy bear, Gus.  Derek attended All Saints primary and middle schools where his sister Jennifer is now Principal.  He was active in Troops 393 and 313 of the Boy Scouts where he loved to hike, camp, and paddle, earning the rank of Eagle Scout.  As a Scout, Derek circumnavigated half of Mount Rainier on the Wonderland Trail, paddled 50 miles on the Kootenai River and learned survival skills with instructors from the Air Force's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school.  He later used his outdoor skills to summit Mount Baker.

Derek ski raced for Mount Spokane.  He played soccer and football, serving as defensive tackle for the Washington state AAA champion Gonzaga Prep Bullpups. Small in stature for the position, Derek's coaches named him "jungle cat" for his quickness and finesse exploiting weaknesses in the opponent's offensive line.  Derek excelled academically at Gonzaga Prep, earning an ROTC scholarship and admission to Princeton University.

While at Princeton, Derek played sprint football with his brother David and against his brother Marc, earning a 4 year varsity letter.  He was a member of the Tiger Inn, the third oldest Princeton Eating Club.  He graduated Princeton with a degree in Operations Research and Financial Engineering, studying optimal decision-making under uncertainty for his senior thesis.

Commissioned as an Engineer Officer in the United States Army, Derek led a sapper platoon in the 16th Engineering Battalion stationed in Bamberg, Germany.  His unit participated in Operation Joint Endeavor to enforce the Dayton Peace Accord in Bosnia-Herzegovinia, ending the largest ethnic cleansing campaign in Europe since the Second World War.  Experts in demolitions, Derek and his sappers removed hundreds of anti-personnel mines, converting minefields into soccer fields where kids could once again play.  Several of Derek's family members served in the Army, but Derek was the only Austin to earn a Combat Service Identification Badge for his service.

To initiate his transition to civilian life, Derek traveled the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok in the far east of Asia.  He followed that journey with a very brief acting career in the film Americano, reveling in a scene opposite Dennis Hopper after running with the bulls in Pamplona.

With wanderlust temporarily satiated, Derek started his second career in Silicon Valley as a software engineer optimizing supply chain operations for the world's largest computer hardware companies.  This job led him to an assignment in Tokyo, where he met the love of his life, Yuko Takai.  Yuko is from a very traditional Japanese family.  Not to be dissuaded or separated, Yuko and Derek proved that a strong, open connection between two loving people can bring worlds together in peace and harmony.

Derek is preceded in death by his father Judge Robert Austin, his grandmother Janice Cunningham, and his uncles Jeff and Brian Cunningham.  He is survived by his wife Yuko, his mother Beverly, his siblings Jennifer, David and Marc, and his German Wirehaired Pointer, Jaeger.  Gus the teddy bear cuddled with dare bear until his last breath.

Family and friends are invited to join a celebration of Derek's life at Gonzaga Prep on Friday, September 22.  Father Tom Lamana will celebrate mass at the Chapel of the Three Companions starting at 4:30 PM.  A reception will immediately follow in the student center, and guests may choose to watch the Mead Panthers contest the Bullpups at 7:00 PM.  Those with open senses will feel a jungle cat shooting the A gap.