Obituary of Alexander J. Augustine

Alexander J. Augustine, 76 Engineer, Singer/Entertainer, DJ/Radio Personality, Devoted Family Man, Loyal Friend and a “Happy Guy” Alexander (Alex) J. Augustine passed away surrounded by his loved ones on October 31, 2023. After a fierce and valiant, five month battle, he went home to God and is now at peace. Alex was born on July 17, 1947 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. As a youth, he attended St. Augustine’s School and graduated from John Jay High School at the age of 16. He then began drafting for the Army Corp of Engineers and went on to earn a degree in engineering from The College of Staten Island. Alex worked as a Principal Designer in four disciplines of engineering: civil, structural, mechanical and environmental. He was especially proud of his work on the construction of The World Trade Center (The Twin Towers). Alex’s career spanned 50 years with many of those years spent designing sewage treatment and water purification plants throughout NYC. Alex was an involved, dedicated, loving husband, father and grandfather. He met his wife of 51 happy years in their Brooklyn neighborhood. He was so in love, he wrote and recorded a song in her honor, called “Antoinette” in 1971. They married in 1972 and went on to have three daughters: Lisa, Lori and Cynthia. They lived on Staten Island until moving to Allentown, N.J. in 2019. His dream was to retire to a quiet town with his dream girl. Alex’s devotion to his family showed in the attention, love and care he gave to all of them, especially to his seven grandchildren. He took pride and interest in all their sports and hobbies. He taught his daughters and grandchildren how to ride a bike, drive a car, swing a bat, box, swim/dive, cook, draw, sing, draft, and photography, as well as teaching them numerous life lessons, the value of community service (He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, The Holy Name Society, Meals on Wheels, etc), and the importance of love and laughter. He also had a strong bond with his sons-in-law, Joseph, Michael, and Steven. They enjoyed countless years of jokes, fun and helping one another. Alex enjoyed many hobbies and passions throughout his life. He played stickball and won the NYC Mayor’s Trophy Stickball Championship. He loved going to church (was a parishioner and usher at Our Lady of Pity for 25 years), swimming, diving, boxing (trained in Gleason’s Gym in Bklyn), weight lifting, archery, photography, drawing/illustrating, animals (known as the animal whisperer), collecting records, comic books, music memorabilia, cars, his country, the Yankees, watching old westerns, Abbot & Costello, The Three Stooges, Popeye, Superman, and Sci-Fi, going to the gym, vacationing, attending concerts, taking his wife out, playing with his grandchildren, being with his friends (his friends were also considered his family), going to restaurants, cooking, making his own recipes, eating (He called himself a “professional eater”.), posting on Facebook (getting ”hits”), taking selfies (anywhere, everywhere and anytime), managing his website, AlexAugustine.com and his YouTube channel, singing, everything about music (Doo-Wop, Rock & Roll and R&B), telling jokes, and stories of his life and experiences to anyone who came in contact with him. He was a true people person and was known for telling jokes. He always said he “lived to make people laugh and smile”. He said it made him “feel good inside and kept him going” and he was happy as long as he could do that, and he always made sure he did. Alex’s passion for singing and music lead to an extensive lifetime music career of performing, producing and MCing, where he met many people in the industry and made life-long friendships. In addition to recording numerous records, CDs and digitally, Alex performed on the stages of Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theater, Westbury Music Fair, Atlantic City, Foxwoods, and many others. He has won awards for singing, entertaining, and MCing and is featured in publications such as Billboard and has personal memorabilia hanging in the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. In addition to forming his own singing groups, Alex sang and worked with the greats of his time and music genre. Fifteen years ago he became part of The Goodfellas Doo-Wop Club & More, where he MC’d shows monthly, featuring special celebrity guest appearances and performances. He also produced and was the DJ and radio personality of a weekly radio show; Alex Augustine’s Goodfellas Rock & Roll, Rhythm ‘n Blues Show on WRTR Remember Then Radio. Alex was survived by his loving wife, Antoinette (Pizzimenti) and his daughters, Lisa Augustine-Martino, Lori Sabbio, and Cynthia Augustine-Rodriguez. He was a fun and loving Grandpa and PaPa to Alexander, Dennie Anne, Sophia, Michael, Joseph, Isabella, and Grayson, as well as a beloved brother-in-law, cousin and uncle to many nieces and nephews. Alex was the recipient of a successful kidney transplant, but sadly lost his life to a C. Diff infection. November is C. Diff Awareness Month. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in honor of his memory to: American Kidney Fund www.kidneyfund.org Or Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. Diff Education and Advocacy www.cdiff.org