Austin J. Yonker, age 27 of Beaver Dam, passed away unexpectedly on May 29, 2021. He was born in Fond du Lac on January 28, 1994, in the middle of a snow storm. Austin will be forever missed by his mother, Jessica (Bryon Walters) Nowicki; his dad, John (Bonnie Steinmetz) Puls; grandparents, Jim and Jackie Nowicki; sister, Stephanie Shaver; aunt and uncles, Josh Nowicki and Mary Mulder, Jason and Candy Nowicki, and Lenny and Debbie Earnest; all of his friends that were like family, BJ Harper, Nicole Crescio, Josh Cresio, Josh Kuhl, Dakota Huber, Taylor St. James, and Shannon Riel, and further survived by many more friends and other relatives.

To my son: "The day you were born, time stopped and my heart was filled. You truly were a blessing from God. You showed me what unconditional love is. You are the sun that shines, the wind beneath my wings, and my strength. I am so proud you chose me to be your mother; you are my baby boy forever and always. The moment you left me, my heart split in two: one side is filled with memories, while the other died with you. Life may go on without you, but it will never be the same. You touched so many hearts and lives with your amazing hugs, warm smiles, and crazy antics, which will always be remembered and treasured.  Remembering you is easy, but missing you is a heartache that will never go away. I hold you tightly in my heart, where you will forever remain, and with tears upon my cheek, I often lay awake to take a walk down memory lane. Until the day we meet again, please keep your arms wrapped around us. I love you!" - Mom (Jessica)

To Austin: "Where do I start? Maybe from when you were just a young buck running around naked and peed in my jacket pocket, or when I took you bow hunting for the first time a few years later. After strapping you in your own deer stand next to me, I saw a deer in the distance, told you to be very, very quiet and not move, to which you responded in your best "whisper" voice, "WHAAAT!!", and continued swinging your feet from the stand, sending the deer far off into the woods. No matter which memory I think of, or story I recall, I was extremely proud to watch you turn into the man you became. You were always loving and so willing to help not only family and friends, but anyone in need.  You worked so hard, yet still made time for all of those who loved you: your family, friends, and brothers. I will always remember how great your big hugs and handshakes made me feel inside, like I did something right over the years. Your memory will live on forever in our hearts and we all love you and miss you dearly. Until we meet again, 'Twist the throttle and crank the Pantera!' and keep a cold one ready for me son. I love you." - Dad (John)

A memorial gathering for Austin will be held on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services, 135 Keller Blvd., Beaver Dam from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services in Beaver Dam is honored to be serving the family.