Austin David Gies

Austin David Gies, 28, of Galion, died unexpectedly on Monday, September 14, 2026 and is now in Heaven, and resting in the loving arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Austin was born on January 12, 1998, in Yuba City, California, to the late Michael Allen Markle and Tricia Lynn Gies, who lives in Bucyrus and who has always fought for him to have as normal a life as possible. Austin’s father died when he was young, and shortly thereafter, he gained an outstanding father figure in Mac Cleveland, who loved and raised him as his own.

Being autistic, Austin was a unique yet kindhearted individual. There wasn’t an animal he didn’t want to love. He was also very intelligent when it came to something that he wanted to learn, such as writing and coding. He graduated from Pioneer JVS in 2017, and in more recent years found joy in working as a delivery driver for both Spark and DoorDash. He was friendly to all and loved to make conversation.

Austin’s favorite pastime was writing, and because sometimes reality offered its challenges, his best works ventured into fantasy and fiction. He loved to read, especially history and westerns. He was also an avid gamer and spent many hours online, gaming with friends he became close with. He enjoyed gatherings both locally and online for their D&D game, and some of his other favorites were Minecraft, Skyrim, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Austin enjoyed spending time with family and was especially close with his grandpa Gies, who drove a truck as a second career. This allowed Austin to ride along and see many amazing sites throughout their travels. He rarely missed a meal and specifically enjoyed buffet-style meals. He had a huge heart for animals and specifically enjoyed the companionship his cat Princess offered, whom he adopted from the Humane Society.

Austin was loved by many, including his mom, Tricia (Beau Lambert) Gies; dad, Mac Cleveland; older sister, Tristyn Gies; younger brothers, Jacob Awbrey and Benjamin Gies; maternal grandparents, David and Linda (Iler) Gies; aunt, Lisa Watson; great uncle, Steve (Paula) Iler; cousins, Ashley Watson and Christopher Watson. He is also survived by his best friend, Joczelyn Earl, who offered him a lot of friendship and laughs since meeting him in high school, as well as others locally and those throughout the online world.

In addition to his father, Mike Markle, Austin was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Paul and Eleanor Iler and John “Frank” and Mabel Gies.

The desire to feel loved is a fundamental part of human nature! It’s ours to share, and lives change for the better when they feel that love. Love one another.

A memorial service for Austin will be held at Trinity Evangelical, 108 Malabar Dr., Upper Sandusky on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 12 pm with Rev. Jim Stauffer officiating.

If desired, donations may be made payable to the Humane Society Serving Crawford County, and these gifts will be accepted through Wise Funeral Service. Words of encouragement and expressions of sympathy are encouraged to be shared on his guestbook page at www.wisefuneral.com.