R.C. "Eric" Augesen

R.C “Eric” Augesen passed suddenly from this life to the next on Saturday, October 28th, 2017 in Lubbock. He was born in Slaton, Minnesota on October 26th, 1940 to Charles P and Elinor G. (Smith) Augesen. He married Gloria Winterstein in Bisbee, Arizona on February 14th. Eric enlisted in the Army in Sioux Falls, SD and although he never saw combat he was exceedingly proud to have served his country. After the Army, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Political Science at the University of Iowa. From there the call of Texas became too great to ignore (he got here as fast as he could!) and he was accepted into Texas Tech Law School which he finished in 2 ½ years. During Law School he worked for Senator H.J. “Doc” Blanchard. After graduating, he was accepted into medical school at Texas Tech University but he opted to start practicing law immediately. He moved to Odessa and became Assistant County Attorney under Bill McCoy. After this he moved to private practice as an associate with Childs & Bishop before later going out on his own. He excelled in private practice but he craved a way to better serve his community. Eric became District Attorney of Ector County and by his own account it was his favorite 4 years of his career. He was driven with a passion that few understood to keep criminals off the streets of Odessa. After those 4 years, he became a tireless advocate for children. He took each case personally and worked for his clients as though they were family. After their first consultation, prospective clients knew that if they weren’t there for their kids, he would not take them on. Children who came to the office with their parents were immediately won over by his caring and gentle way with them. He was fiercely private and protective of family but he was incredibly proud of his children and grand-children. All who knew him were treated to tales of his offspring’s talents and accomplishments. He loved to take the little ones to show off at the courthouse and he was never so happy as when his house was bursting at the seams. He was a king among grandfathers with capabilities that ranged from a “magic pocket” to changing the date of Halloween for a sick grandchild. He could talk a waiter into bringing “pepsi that looks a lot like coke”, find just the right fluffy dress to make a girl feel like a princess, and protect any of the 12 grandchildren from discipline he deemed inappropriate saying the words “s/he’s with her/his Bappa.” He was the kind of father/grandfather who would stand in the rain to watch Beauty and the Beast and who would ride the “It’s a Small World” ride over and over to the delight of the little ones. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gloria; his children: Roxanna Manuel and her husband Michael, Rhonda Vaughn and her husband David, Rene’ Augesen, Rochele “Riki” Daniels and her husband Chuck, Eric Augesen and his wife, Shannon and Jon Augesen and his wife Misty; and his 12 grandchildren: Brittany Mitchelson and her husband Michael, Gerron Vaughn, Lily Manuel, Cydnee Augesen, Elinor Grace Vaughn, Genevieve Daniels, Maggie Augesen, Caroline “Charlie” Daniels, Avery Augesen, Abby Augesen, Ellie Augesen, and Cooper Augesen. He is also survived by one sister, Donna, and one brother, Ernest. Services will be held Saturday, November 4th, 2017 at First Presbyterian Church in Odessa at 2pm with Jim Longstreet officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Eric’s name to the Autism Research Institute or First Presbyterian Church.

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R.C. "Eric" Augesen

October 26, 1940 - October 28, 2017