In loving memory of

Austin L. Shug
July 23, 1925 - April 9, 2018

Middleton - Austin L. Shug, age 92, passed away peacefully after a respiratory illness on Monday, April 9, 2018, at Agrace Hospice Care in Fitchburg, WI. He was born on July 23, 1925, to Leo Austin and Alice (Fiederlein) Shug in Paterson, New Jersey. Despite his advanced myopia, with the help of an onion and memorization of the eye chart, he was accepted into the US Navy, serving from 1943-1946. He received a Master of Science from the University of Tennessee in 1952 and completed his PhD in bacteriology at UW Madison in 1958, followed by a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Indiana. After a brief time at the National Institutes of Health Austin returned to Madison, initially working as a research associate at the UW Enzyme Institute. He subsequently started an accomplished and highly published career as a biomedical laboratory research investigator and chemist for the VA Hospital from 1961-1986, with affiliated positions as professor at the UW Department of Neurology. During his tenure at this position, he continued to be a grantee of NIH, directing a well-funded and highly productive research lab. With hundreds of publications and dozens of patents, he and his coworkers successfully studied the effects and treatment of carnitine deficiencies. One of his seminal publications was in 1981 in The New England Journal of Medicine that showed that carnitine supplementation can cure certain types of familial cardiomyopathies. His research also led to work as a consultant for Sigma-Tau Chemical Company in Rome, Italy, and to the founding of Metabolic Analysis Labs, Inc. in Madison, where he was director and co-owner. He was also a regular contributor to professional scientific journals. His work has resulted in improving and saving many lives.

He is survived by his loving wife, Kathryn Shug; his children, Barbara Schug-Studener, Mary Shug and Dr. Leo A. (Jane) Schug; his grandchildren, Max Studener, Katelyn Studener (Freddy Machado), and Austin and Julia Schug; his great-grandchild, Luna Machado Studener; his cousins, Francis Grace and Sr. Emily Schug, and many other nieces, nephews and cousins.

Fishing was a great passion. His marvelous stories and sense of humor will be greatly missed.

A funeral service will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, on Saturday, April 14, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. with Monsignor Charles Schluter presiding. Burial will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison followed by a light lunch. A visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services
3610 Speedway Road Madison
(608) 238-3434

Tributes

Red wrote on Apr 12, 2018:

"Austin was a man of prodigious talents and personality. His family can take pride and comfort in his many wonderful contributions he gave to help make the world better. I know he was so proud of his wonderful son who followed in his father?s legacy of helping others. "