\Our kind and gentle, Austin Melland, left us suddenly on July 5, 2023. He leaves behind his Dad/best friend, Bobby; brother, Brandon and his wife Wynne; aunts and uncles, Shane and Baker Shaw, and Yvonne and Rob Jenkins; cousins, Lyndsey and Luke Shaw, and Justin Jenkins; and niece and nephews, Liana, Aidan, and Cole Melland.
Austin was born in 1992. He was a late arrival for Bobby and Miranda and the younger brother Brandon had always wanted. They let Brandon name him. Austin was a quiet, sweet, and passionate little boy. He wasn’t super athletic, but he always had something new that he was into, such as art, space, karate, or writing. He enjoyed summers at Port Aransas and later Medina Lake, where Bobby and Miranda kept an RV. He also enjoyed spending time with his late grandparents, Byron and Lottie, and with Brandon, who had already moved out by then.
Early on, we could tell Austin was a special boy. One time when he was about 2 or 3, he got mad at Brandon and threw a matchbox car, which put a hole in a nearby stereo speaker. Austin was terrified that he had hurt “some of the little people” singing inside of the speaker. That level of empathy, guilt, and concern for others, never left him. For better and for worse, it only grew stronger.
For the most part, quiet, gentle, young Austin grew into a quiet, gentle man. That was partly due to a stammer he lived with for most of his life. But that never kept him from speaking his truth or helping others. He had a small network of lifelong friends and stayed near to Bobby following Miranda’s passing in 2021. He was also a very humble person. Whatever his job, he treated it like a mission. He spent his final years working with Bobby at the family business, Mitchell Cleaners, and being a wonderful uncle.
Austin didn’t have a long life, but it was a life of dignity. He wasn’t one to build anything up or blaze any paths. He was simply a beautiful person that leaves behind gentle traces that will give shape and spirit to new beautiful things. It’s fitting that his final passion was fishing.
A private ceremony will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, Austin’s family kindly asks that donations be made to Dustin’s House Foundation at https:// dustinshouse. org. To leave condolences for the family, please visit www.ebensberger-fisher. com. Arrangements with Ebensberger Fisher Funeral Home of Boerne.
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