Charles Austin

Charles N. Austin
Charles Nguyen Austin was born on May 10, 1970 and passed away on May 23, 2025 in Marin County, California. He was attended by his brother, and was with family and friends who loved him. He is survived by his mother, Yen Nguyen Bachmeier and her husband Mel Bachmeier, and his brother, Horace Austin, Jr. He was preceded in death by his father, Horace Austin, Sr.
Chuck, as he was affectionately known, was born in Letterman Hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco. He attended Serra Vista Elementary School in South San Francisco, Marina Middle School in San Francisco, Washington High School in San Francisco, and San Francisco State University. At the latter two institutions, he excelled on the debate teams, winning local, regional and state-wide competitions. He was a mentor to his teammates in high school, and he later coached for debate teams at Diablo Valley College and San Francisco State University.
Chuck had deep interests in chess, movies and music. As a middle school student, he was ranked among the top players at city-wide school chess tournaments. As an adult, he translated his love of movies into an interest in filmmaking and involved himself in the ecosystem of the film industry. But his true vocation was music. He was a self-taught guitarist and acomposer of intimate songs, which he liked to share with friends and perform in open mic clubs in San Francisco.
Chuck was a loyal son of the city of San Francisco and a fiercely passionate supporter of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. He attended many regular season and post-season games at Candlestick Park and Oracle Park, and was vocal about his feelings for the Giants to the point that his intensity was noticed by the players, coaches and umpires on the field.
Chuck was a creative, competitive and colorful person. More than a "people person", Chuck was a connector, a connector of people. He reached out to people he knew who, for whatever reason, isolated themselves, and re-connected them with their friends. It was one of Chuck's talents: bringing people out of darkness and into the light.
A private celebration of Chuck's life will be held July 12 at a venue in the Presidio of San Francisco.