Obituary of Gloria A. Austin

Gloria A. Austin April 7 1942 – April 15 2024 Gloria A. Austin, 82 years old, entered her eternal rest on April 15, 2024 surrounded by loved ones in her Florida home. Gloria grew up in Troupsburg, NY on a family farm with her mother Velma, father Myron, older siblings Vernon and Joyce and younger brother Nyhl. From a young age she always had an affinity for horses, spending lots of time riding her horse Duke as a child. Gloria always had a high regard for education. After high school she attended Alfred University earning her bachelor’s degree before earning a master degree from SUNY Brockport in Public Administration. She married her first husband and had 2 children, Cynthia and Steven Golisano. Gloria was a large part of helping her first husband, B. Thomas Golisano with the creation and expansion of payroll processing company, Paychex. After her time in New Jersey/New York City with Paychex she moved back to upstate NY and married her second husband Vernon Eddie to start a miniature horse farm in Mendon. She spent her last 20+ years traveling the world for carriage driving, dancing and life’s joys with Dr. Gene Serra. Gloria has a love for all things relating to horses and their impacts throughout history. This was her true passion. She started with Mendon Equestrian Center in Mendon NY before settling in Weirsdale, FL creating Continental Acres Equine Resort/Austin Horse Park, the Austin Carriage Collection/Museum and the Equine Heritage Institute, where she shared her wealth of knowledge with enthusiasts worldwide, as an esteemed lecturer and author. She published 30 books on equine education, leaving an indelible mark on the world of equestrianism. She was a world-renowned equestrian/carriage driver and educator of the horse and carriage. At her peak in the world of equestrian driving, she had the largest private collection of carriages in the United States. She always did what she could to spread the word and educate anyone who wanted to learn about the history of horses and carriage driving throughout the world. Gloria was preceded in death by her mother and father, Velma and Myron Austin and her older brother Vernon and her life partner Dr. Gene Serra. She is survived by her two siblings Joyce Symonds and Nyhl Austin, her son and daughter Steven and Cynthia Golisano, her 6 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. She was a loving and caring daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Services will be held at H.P. Smith and Son Funeral Home, 1607 Main St. Woodhull NY on Saturday May 11th at 1 pm. Burial to follow services at Mt Hope cemetery in Troupsburg NY. Reception at Feed Mill restaurant in Woodhull NY at 3 pm.