Jay Milton Mann

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO: Jay Milton Mann, 84, was born on December 9, 1940 and passed away peacefully in his home on January 1, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO. Jay was preceded in death by his parents, James and Thelma Mann; and his beloved wife, Margaret. He is survived by two brothers, Max(Fran) and Neal(Barbara).

Jay was born in his grandparents’ home on December 9, 1940, in Gove County Kansas, near Quinter. He was the second of three sons born to James and Thelma Mann. As a young boy, Jay and his brother rode a horse to a neighboring farm about 5 miles away. Mrs. Ikenberry gave them piano lessons. Jay responded to this early instruction in music much better than his brother did. He attended elementary and high school in the Quinter Public Schools, graduating in 1959. He continued his education, attending Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA and earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree in 1963. Following graduation, he was employed as a Music teacher by the Beaver Falls High School in Beaver Falls, PA for 6 years. During that time, he began graduate studies during the summer intervals and had earned both a Masters and a Doctorate degree, prior to his accepting the position, Professor of Choral Music, at Heidelberg College, Tiffin, OH, in 1969. Jay, his wife Margaret, and their family dog, Mort, spent one summer during his graduate studies, living in a tent at a local campground. He reported a severe thunderstorm event at that campsite. He returned from class to find the tent and everything in disarray and Mort cowering under part of the collapsed tent. Jay continued his Professorship at Heidelberg College for 28 years. During that tenure he notes three special activities: Madrigal Feasts were presented annually. This was a formal dinner, attended by campus personnel, community members, and guests. It included both instrumental and choral presentations throughout the evening. Secondly, an annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah involved his choirs; also, he sometimes sang bass solos and Margaret, his wife, sang soprano and alto solos. Finally, their annual choir tour, wherein the 85-member choir would tour the Northeast, Southeast and Florida, and western regions. He recalls a tour to the northeast: New York state, Boston, and New York City. They had just completed a performance in Providence, Rhode Island, and members of the congregation came, advising Jay that he would cancel the remainder of the tour to Boston and New York City and go home immediately, because a severe snowstorm was being forecast. He was convinced and made arrangements to start home to Tiffin, Ohio. Soon it began to snow and within a few hours they had about 2 feet of snow and the two tour-buses pulled into a rest stop. One of the choir members called her mother. Her mother, pastor of a congregation in Ithaca, New York, where they had performed a week earlier, invited them: the 85 members plus attendees to stay in Ithaca until the weather cleared. Jay asked the bus drivers if they could get to Ithaca. They said, yes, we can. So, the congregation in Ithaca, NY provided meals and housing for them for 2 days before they continued home. Jay and his wife Margaret spent two summers in China teaching English as a Second Language. In 1997 they retired from academia, and moved to Lakeside, OH to a place called Vine and Roses. They lived in this community for 15 years and Jay took a job with a local construction company; it is hard to take the farm out of a farm boy! They became members of the Firelands Presbyterian Church; Jay was an Elder in that congregation for many years. He also presented lectures and concert series of music, many summers in that community. Jay and Margaret moved to Liberty Heights Senior Living in 2012 and Jay remained an active member of that community. They were members of Holy Trinity Anglican Church and deeply loved their church family.

Jay was a baptized and a communicant member of the Quinter Reformed Presbyterian Church. As a youth he was active in the congregational youth group. He was an active participant in Bible Memory contests at Forest Park Family Conferences. His current membership is in the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Monument, CO. He continued, in his evening years, to testify that salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, by Scripture alone, through Christ alone, for God’s glory alone.

Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, January 11, 10:30 AM, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 13990 Gleneagle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Interment: Monday, April 28, 2025, 2:00 PM, Quinter Cemetery, Quinter, KS

Contributions may be made to Geneva College Foundation, 3200 College Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Link is https://www.genevacollegefoundation.org/ or Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 13990 Gleneagle Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.