Austin Dunkle, born on November 20th, 2001, was taken from us too soon on January 9th, 2025. He is survived by his mother and father, Cindy and David Dunkle, his brother and sister-in-law, Alex and Caitlynn Dunkle, as well as his Grandmothers Etsie Brock and Theresa Dunkle, and Uncle Tim. He was reunited with his grandfathers, Paul Brock and Lamar Dunkle that very morning when he met his Savior. There are more family members and friends than could fit in this space, but he loved and cherished each of them.

He completed high school early and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 years of age. He served his country and carried out his duties with integrity and pride earning the following medals and accommodations: Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, (2) Sea Service Deployment Medals, and the Navy Pistol Sharpshooter Ribbon. He was Honorably discharged after his five-year enlistment and returned home to Perry last September.

Although his life was too short, he lived every day to its fullest, never missing an opportunity to spend meaningful time with his family or to challenge himself physically and mentally. He was in the constant pursuit of bettering himself and hoped to influence those around him to want to do better as well. Austin earned his Blue Belt in Jiu Jitsu before leaving the Navy. He had trained for and ran his first marathon last November. He could be seen early most mornings on the road either running, sometimes up to 20 miles, or carrying two 36-pound kettlebells and a rucksack filled with sand over two miles. He had plans to hike the 2600-mile Pacific Crest Trail later this spring.

He had a love for camping and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains as well as the Rockies out west. He spent hours in the woods hunting in the fall and fished the local waters as well as mountain streams. He could fish a fly or throw a cast net. He was a strong man with a big heart. You could never find a truer friend. He was an 'old soul' wise beyond his years.

His life is an unfinished novel, but the pages he filled overflow. We will grieve his passing and will miss him sorely, but as tribute to his life, we will continue ours and live each day to its full potential. He was a 'pull up your bootstraps' type of man, and we will honor his life and memory by living a life that is full and with purpose. We are encouraged by conversations with him that he was pursuing a closer walk with God and was actively searching the Word for His truth. We have hope in the fact that we will be reunited with him and his grandfathers, when our work and purpose on this Earth is complete.