Who was Isaiah Allen? He was just 34 when he passed away in Pickerington, Ohio, but his story reveals something rare: a kind of strength that shows up quietly — not in grand gestures, but in remembering your coffee order, printing you a map when you’re lost, or staying on the phone until you find your way again. This is one of those real life stories that reminds us extraordinary people are all around us.
Listen on Your Favorite Platform:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music | iHeart | Pocket Casts
Or search “True Stories from the Obit Files” in any podcast app
Episode Details:
- Originally Published: July 21, 2025
- Featured Location: Pickerington, Ohio
- Story Era: 1990–2025
The Person You Might Have Walked Past
You might have seen Isaiah at the gym before sunrise — setting up his phone, not for selfies, but to motivate someone he might never meet. Or maybe you crossed paths in a government building where he showed a new hire how not to get lost. What you wouldn’t know just by looking: Isaiah had a talent for lifting more than weights — he lifted people up, quietly and consistently.
Real Strength, Rewritten
Isaiah was a wrestling champion with a pet lizard named Diddy, a business owner with a barista’s heart, and someone who never forgot a friend in need. He studied HVAC at Columbus State but also studied people — how they moved, what they needed, when they were struggling. Whether he was founding “Sock It to Me Transport” or working at a shipping dock, Isaiah always showed up with that rare blend of strength and care.
He didn’t just train coworkers. He walked the halls with them. Printed them maps when they got lost. Made sure his brother would take over when he left — because he knew kindness should continue.
The Ripple Effect
Ask Shane, a coworker who never expected someone like Isaiah to take such care. Or Laila, who found her hardest weeks made bearable by Isaiah’s weekly phone calls while he transported cars across Ohio. Isaiah had a gift for turning drive time into lifeline time. He called people out when they needed it, lifted them up when they were low, and left laughter ringing in places that usually only heard silence.
Even when he wasn’t physically there, Isaiah made sure someone would be. That’s the kind of strength that keeps echoing.
Why This Story Matters
Isaiah reminds us that strength isn’t just about muscle. It’s about memory — remembering someone’s name, their struggle, their story. It’s about making sure no one feels alone their first day on the job or their worst day of the week. It’s about printing a map, staying on the phone, and making sure you’re not the last kind voice someone hears.
Get More Stories Like This
Never miss an extraordinary story. Join 2,000+ listeners who get episode notifications and exclusive behind-the-scenes content delivered to your inbox.
[Email signup form]
“Stories that remind us everyone has something amazing about them.” — Sarah M.
Local Connection
Isaiah was born in Chillicothe, grew up in Reynoldsburg, and lived in Pickerington, Ohio. If you’ve ever stopped for coffee at a Columbus Starbucks, wrestled in Reynoldsburg, or worked in a state building downtown, you might have crossed paths with someone Isaiah helped, trained, or encouraged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often do new episodes come out?
A: New episodes of True Stories from the Obit Files are released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Q: How do you find these stories?
A: All stories come from publicly published obituaries that feature rich personal details about extraordinary ordinary people.
Q: Are these stories real?
A: Yes, every story comes from real obituaries of real people, using only information that families chose to share publicly.
Q: How long are the episodes?
A: Episodes are designed to fit perfectly into your commute or quiet moments, with each story told in just the right amount of time to honor the person’s life.
Q: Can I suggest someone’s story?
A: While we focus on published obituaries, you can contact us with suggestions for stories that particularly moved you.
Share This Story
Know someone who would appreciate Isaiah’s story? Share this episode and help us honor the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.
Episode Transcript
Note: This transcript is provided for accessibility and SEO purposes. Minor edits may have been made for clarity.
[0:00] Go ahead, picture the pre-dawn gym crowd at 5.45 a.m., bright and early. The fluorescent lights are harsh against winter darkness outside. Steam rises from coffee cups. The air smells like rubber mats and that sharp bite of industrial disinfectant.
[0:22] Guy in his early 30s is setting up his phone by a bench press. Not for vanity shots, but for something else. There’s something about the way he adjusts the angle Checks the lighting Deliberate and thoughtful You grab your water bottle Maybe glance over Maybe he’s just another fitness enthusiast Documenting his workout, right? Or another guy grinding through his morning routine Before heading to work But what if that same person was the one Who printed you a map when you were lost? What if he was the friend who stayed on the phone for hours When you needed to talk through your problems? What if he understood something about real strength that most of us completely miss? What if the most extraordinary friend you could ever have was someone whose name you didn’t even know? Hi, I’m Steve Rode, and this is True Stories from the Obit Files. A few times a week, I share one real story from a real obituary about someone whose life you never knew about. These aren’t celebrities or headliners. They’re just regular people who lived extraordinary lives Right under our noses If stories like this matter to you, make sure you’re subscribed I share a new one every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
[1:41] Isaiah J. Allen was just 34 years old when he passed away on July 7, 2025, in Pickerington, Ohio, born in Chillicothe, raised in Reynoldsburg. Every small Ohio town has someone like Isaiah walking around the streets. But here’s what I learned about someone who figured out what real strength actually looks like. So let me start with this detail. It made me smile because Isaiah had a pet lizard named Diddy I mean, a wrestling champion with HVAC certification Who posts motivational fitness content And has a lizard named Diddy? Now, that is someone I would love to meet.
[2:29] Isaiah was a standout wrestler and takedown champion At Reynoldsburg High Picture those wrestling mats, the sound of bodies Hitting hard surfaces That intense focus required to pin someone twice your size He carried that competitive fire all the way To Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania But here’s where Isaiah’s story gets interesting He earned two degrees from Columbus State Community College An associate of applied science and an associate of arts Plus technical training in heating and cooling.
[3:06] But Isaiah wasn’t someone who just stayed in the classroom. While pursuing his education, he worked everywhere. Starbucks, probably the kind of barista who remembered your order and asked about your job interview. He even served with the Ohio Investigative Unit as an underage informant. I mean, think about that for a second. College student by day? Helping law enforcement by night? Later, he founded his own business, Sakatumi Transport. I love that name. You can almost hear Isaiah explaining it with a grin that people remembered.
[3:45] But what I keep coming back to is this. Isaiah understood that education happens everywhere.
[3:52] Classroom learning taught him technical skills. Serving coffee taught him patience. Government work taught him systems. and transport taught him that sometimes the longest drives make the best conversations. I can imagine his parents, Gary and Tanya, watching their son navigate all those different worlds, wrestling mats to college classrooms, to coffee shops, to government buildings, probably wondering what he’d do next, but never doubting he’d figure out how to help people along the way. And somehow Isaiah figured out that being physically strong was only half the equation In his last two years, Isaiah returned to wrestling Reigniting that competitive fire that had been quietly burning all along He was doing these brutal endurance challenges Like the 4x4x48 run Running 4 miles every 4 hours For 48 hours straight The kind of thing that breaks most people.
[4:55] But here’s what bench press records don’t tell you about strength Isaiah was using those early morning gym sessions To create motivational content that inspired countless people I can imagine him setting up that phone at dawn Still breathing hard from his workout Knowing exactly what someone scrolling at 6am needed to hear I mean, every gym has that person who’s not showing off but showing up. You probably walked past them this week. But here’s what you couldn’t see from the outside. What made Isaiah extraordinary wasn’t his takedown records or his business success. It was the way he understood something most of us miss about what people actually need. Shane Guilfoyle worked with Isaiah on the shipping dock at the Charles D. Shipley Building, one of those massive government complexes where the hallways echo and you can wander for hours without finding what you’re looking for. Shane had never worked in that kind of physically demanding environment before. Isaiah didn’t just train him on the job. He walked around with Shane. He introduced him to people, explained directions. Shane said, in a way I could understand.
[6:19] When Shane kept getting lost in that maze of a building, Isaiah took time, printed him a map. I mean, a map. Think about that. Taking time to print someone a map because you noticed they were struggling to find their way.
[6:35] But here’s what really shows you who Isaiah was. When he eventually moved on from that job, he didn’t just leave Shane to figure out things alone. Isaiah made sure his brother Gary would take his place. Shane said Gary turned out to be one of the most upstanding gentlemen I’d ever met, and we became fast friends.
[7:00] Isaiah didn’t just help people in the moment. He built systems of care that continued even after he was gone. That’s someone who understood that kindness isn’t just about what you do. It’s also about what keeps happening because you were there. Because here’s what Isaiah understood that most of us miss. Sometimes people aren’t just lost in buildings. They’re lost in life. And sometimes what they need most is someone strong enough to stick around and help them figure out where they’re going. And then make sure someone else will be there when you can’t be.
[7:39] Every workplace has someone who remembers your first day when you’ve forgotten theirs. For a lot of people, that was Isaiah.
[7:47] Layla describes those weekly phone calls with Isaiah while he was driving for Jermaine Toyota transporting cars across Ohio. She says he had this rare gift of making people feel understood. Picture Isaiah on those long stretches of highway, Hands-free headset on, turning drive time into lifeline time.
[8:10] Layla could talk to him for hours, she said, just going back and forth about life, random things, or whatever I was struggling with. She says Isaiah gave advice straight from the heart, honest, real, and always with love. He called me out when I needed it. He lifted me up when I was down, and he always made me laugh, even on my worst days.
[8:37] And Shane? He says working with Isaiah felt like he’d known him for years. They laughed so much together, they got in trouble with security and had to stay out of view of the cameras. I mean, can you picture that? Two grown men trying to muffle their laughter behind shipping boxes. In a world of text messages and surface conversations, Isaiah understood that sometimes what people need most is being willing to stay on the phone. Here’s what Isaiah figured out that most of us are still learning, Real strength isn’t about how much you can lift or how fast you can run No, it’s about being strong enough to notice when someone’s lost, literally or figuratively And then being the person who takes time to help them find their way.
[9:24] Isaiah combined physical power with emotional availability In a way that changed people’s days He understood that sometimes The strongest thing you can do Is print someone a map Or stay on the phone during long drives Or make someone laugh Until security has to separate you Layla says she still finds herself thinking Isaiah’s just out of town And hasn’t called yet And that’s what happens When someone makes you feel truly understood When they’re gone, You keep expecting that call Every gym has someone like Isaiah Every workplace has that person who helps newcomers find their way Every highway has someone turning drive time into connection time, You probably walked past someone this week Who carries that same rare combination of strength and understanding Not everyone makes the front page But everyone, and I mean everyone, has a story worth telling People like you, Extraordinary lives Stories worth hearing And thank you for letting me tell this one.
Transcript Keywords: wrestler stories, Ohio stories, HVAC training, barista life, transport business, government job training, obituary podcast
Accessibility Note: This transcript is available for listeners who are deaf, hard of hearing, or prefer to read along. For the full audio experience with vocal variety and storytelling nuance, listen to the episode above.
About the Host
Steve Rhode has been telling human interest stories with a focus on honoring the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. His respectful approach to storytelling has resonated with thousands of listeners who believe everyone has a story worth sharing. True Stories from the Obit Files represents his commitment to celebrating the quiet heroes who shape our communities.