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As Ponsonby's Sacred Heart church began to fill for popular weatherman Augie Auer's funeral last Friday, the rain pelted down, and a huge roll of thunder rumbled in the sky.
"It makes you wonder: has Augie found his way to the big control room in the sky and is pushing all the buttons up there?" asked MetService former colleague Rod Steiner in his eulogy.
It had been almost two weeks since Auer, who became a household name when he was the weeknight weather presenter for TV3 News from 1999 until 2002, died suddenly on holiday in Melbourne while celebrating his birthday and 35th wedding anniversary with family and friends.
The 67-year-old's death from a heart attack was a shock to friends and family as he was "just so full of life", his daughter Bridget Auer told the Herald on Sunday yesterday.
Auer, whose first name is officially August, grew up in St Louis, Missouri, and moved his family to Wellington in 1990, becoming the chief meteorologist for MetService.
"He's always been obsessed with the weather... There would be a tornado warning sometimes in Wyoming when we lived there, and he would go off to look at the tornado. He took me out there once when I was about 8, and I was terrified, but he was saying 'look at that, cool'," Bridget laughs.
His time forecasting and presenting the weather on screen was exciting for him. "He loved it, he loved working with everyone at TV3... I think what he enjoyed the most about it was reaching out and seeing people respond to his enthusiasm."
At Friday's funeral service in Auckland, MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt, his two sons Chris and Andy, former TV3 colleague Hilary
Former TV personality Clint Brown was a pallbearer. Doug Sherring
Barry, and fellow member of the Climate Science Coalition Terry Dunleavy all paid tribute to the "gentle man".
Barry described how Auer's "infectious enthusiasm" for the weather would explode onscreen while he worked with the news team.
She recalled some of his "Augie-isms" such as "blue-dome day", and "ditto days", which became part of the vernacular of the newsroom.
Dunleavy described Auer as having been "blessed with a prevailing sunny nature", and he was remembered for his love of music, ability to communicate with people, and - of course - his passion for what was happening in the skies.
Auer recently became a member of the Climate Science Coalition, a group of scientists who refute some claims regarding global warming, and received some criticism for his views. However, Bridget says he "took it with a grain of salt", and was trying to encourage people to think about the issue for themselves.
He is survived by his wife Susan, children Chris, Bridget and Andy, and five grandchildren.
