Joshua Nathaniel Lindsay

Josh was born on August 16th, 1992, in Anaheim, California, and is the eldest of five children. From an early age, Josh’s signature zest for life and personality were apparent to his parents. As a newborn baby in the nursery, Josh was observed rolling on to his belly and looking around the room, exhibiting his curiosity for how the world worked - something that he would never lose. Before Josh could walk, he was always in motion. His constant energy kept his arms and legs moving, and he always enjoyed watching whatever was going on around him. Though his energy made naptime a chore at times, he was always good for sleeping through the night after his long days of constant movement. At an early age he loved his airplane jumper, developing his love of air and spacecrafts well before his first birthday. Josh began walking between 9 and 10 months, in line with his abundance of energy, but he was always surprisingly well behaved for his parents whenever they took him out. All in all, little Josh was a happy baby, and as he grew up, he would never have to worry about being a lonely child.

It was apparent at an early age that Josh was a watchful and diligent older brother. He was a trusted eye for his younger siblings, even as a toddler. He particularly loved his little brother, Jordan, when he joined the family, his one and only sister, Rachel, a couple years later, and finally, who he thought was going to be his youngest brother, Jacob, a short time later. Josh grew into quite the ringleader as everyone grew up, leading siblings and cousins into mischief whenever it was time to play. He was a born leader - another quality he would demonstrate throughout his life. When Josh wasn’t playing with his siblings or cousins, he was a master around his Legos, further developing his natural gravitation towards engineering.

When Josh made it to elementary school, his abundance of energy was once again on full display. Josh’s need to keep moving at all times made him a recess warrior and a classroom menace. He was famous for getting up from his chair mid-lesson to walk around the room in search of something to play with. Josh was sharp, however, because whenever he was called out for not paying attention, he was sure to let the teacher know that he did, in fact, hear what was being taught and was noted for giving correct answers to math questions when pressed. His magnum opus in the classroom as a child came as he told his Kindergarten teacher to “keep her panties” on while she was scolding him for some mischief, a hilarious sign that he had been spending too much time around Grandpa Ted. He was forced to sit out of recess as punishment, which, for such an energetic kid, was his personal hell.

As Josh grew through his elementary years, he joined cub scouts and basketball, which proved to be productive outlets for his great energy and intelligence. Though he only played a few seasons of basketball, scouting became an integral part of Josh’s developmental years. As a cub scout, Josh met friends that he would keep for life, like Andy Lake, as the program taught him some of the finer points of becoming a great man. He loved tent camping, shooting, and being out in nature, but he was particularly drawn towards the pinewood derby car races put on annually by his pack. He continued his development as an engineer every year before the race, always thinking about how he could make his car more aerodynamic, sleek, and faster, which always paid off at the podium for him. Josh would stick with scouting well into his high school years, crossing over into Boy Scouts as he graduated from elementary school, and achieving the rank of Life scout before departing the program.

In middle school, on top of his time in scouts, Josh tried his hand at some other extracurriculars. He played the violin for a few years, but mostly so he could skip on some of his other classes. Just before Josh began attending high school, his family grew for one final time, as he welcomed his youngest brother Jared when he was almost 13 years old. It was a rough time for Josh, who was embarrassed to be seen with his pregnant mother - after all he did know where babies came from at this point. Despite the age gap, Josh and Jared fostered a strong brotherly bond that would last a lifetime. As time passed, he was also able to be seen with Mom again.

Josh attended Pacifica High School, where he would spend four years in ROTC, earning his letters and other full achievement badges. During his time at Pacifica, Josh would positively touch the lives of a lot of students, leaving an impact felt by many of his classmates to this day. Many of his classmates, some close to him, and others who may have only had a class or two with him, have reached out to the family about their fond memories of Josh - a testament to the lasting impact that Josh has had on almost anyone that he met. In high school, Josh was a bit of a ladies’ man. He was able to use the charisma that made him such a born leader to effortlessly impress any girl that he was interested in, as well as some that he wasn’t. In addition to his avid social life, Josh picked up and developed some of his interests he would take into adulthood, like his love for animals and gaming.

Josh graduated high school in 2010, and set forth on an adventurous, and, at times, turbulent adult life. He spent a semester at Cypress College, but it became apparent that young-man Josh and higher education were not a match. He got a job at Collar & Leash groomers where his intense work ethic and love for animals allowed him to thrive and make a lasting impact on the staff, many of whom still work there to this day. He spent a good deal of time moving between short-term living arrangements during this time, at times living with coworkers from the shop, and with cousins Kody & Austyn before finding some stability with one of his longest standing friends, Brandon Wolfe.

After some time living with Brandon, the itch for adventure once again came over Josh and he was off to Oregon, where he lived in the Eugene area for a couple of years. During his time in Oregon, he worked as a boat mechanic. Although his time in Oregon was brief and he had to come back home to Orange County in a hurry, he did learn that he had an affinity working with his hands and with mechanical and electrical components. Upon his return, he would begin his career as an electrician when he accepted a job with Fine Line. It didn’t take Josh long to start his move up the career ladder at Fine Line, where his exceptional work ethic and skilled work earned him a promotion to foreman.

After a few years at Fine Line, Josh began to develop a love-hate relationship with the company. He loved working on electrical projects and took great pride in his work, but he hated being on the job with people that he felt were lazy or incompetent. He loved being paid an adult wage for the first time in his life, but sometimes he hated his boss. He eventually left Fine Line and did work as a freelance electrician, working on many projects, most notably the solar panel installations at California State University Long Beach, that he always loved to see when he was flying back home to visit. As time marched on, Josh and Fine Line eventually managed to patch the relationship, and he was offered a chance to relocate to the Austin, Texas area, where he would fall in love with the area and live there for the rest of his life.

After a couple more years with Fine Line in Texas, some old issues resurfaced, and Josh once again left the company to find work as a freelancer. He wired all of the new Costco’s, HEBs, and Tom Thumbs that popped up in the growing market over his many years as an electrician in Texas. All in all, Josh worked for about 10 years as a commercial electrician, where he grew immensely in his personal and professional lives.

In the summer of 2020, Josh had no idea how much his life was going to change for the better when he met his life partner, Athena, through mutual friends. The connection was immediate as they bonded as friends over their mutual love of animals and pets. Although circumstance meant that they would remain only friends for a few months, they would reconnect the following April and their relationship would blossom. Josh, ever cautious in a new relationship, would explore the connection for nearly a whole year before the couple would officially become boyfriend and girlfriend. Though Josh was not known for fibbing or lying, Athena truly made him an honest man. Their connection was strong, and it was evident to everyone who knew Josh that he was made to be with her - she covered his faults and sharpened his strengths. Although the pair were never married, Josh considered Athena to be his wife and referred to her as such. Although they often were busy with work or school, and seldom found a lot of waking hours together, they found enjoyment in any activity together, from the grocery store to the movie theater. They grew a lot in their years together, Josh teaching Athena lessons in culture around movies, music, and food (especially spicy ramen), and Athena supporting Josh through one of the most exciting parts of his life.

After meeting and becoming a unit with Athena, all of the prior turbulence in Josh’s life quickly began to fade away. With Athena by his side, Josh decided that he no longer wanted to be the hands pulling on the wires, but the engineer behind the machine, and returned to school at Austin Community College in Round Rock, Texas for the Fall 2022 semester. Where a young Josh struggled with schooling, a more mature and experienced Josh thrived. Taking advantage of his second chance at higher education, Josh enjoyed academic success, frequenting the Honor Roll and Dean’s Lists, tutoring, and mentoring his fellow students. As always, Josh brought his unique energy to his classes, dressing in a suit every day - fully embodying the adage that one should dress for the job that they want rather than the job that they have. Upon his completion of the Spring 2024 semester, he was granted his AA in General Science, and returned for the Fall semester to round out his transcripts to transfer to a University. He dreamed of attending Texas A&M to study Aerospace engineering.

In addition to his success at school, Josh dreamed of working at SpaceX where he would use his skills in engineering to drive humanity to new frontiers. Working towards that end, Josh had taken up an internship with NASA, honing his skills and building his resume to achieve his personal goals, as well as noble goals for mankind. Josh completed the first wave of his internship at NASA, and turning in the final report was one of the last things that Josh did before he passed. Taking his passion and excitement for his field with him, into and beyond his unfortunately limited time with us.

Late Josh placed a great deal of importance on continuous self-improvement and personal relationships. He took up cooking at home and exercise, both of which helped him contain and manage his nonstop energy. He made more genuine attempts to game with friends and be intentional with his interpersonal relationships with family and friends. He got back into streaming, where his content was transformed from what it had been in the past. His confidence overflowed as he finally felt like he was headed where he belonged, and all he wanted for everyone else was to be able to experience the same feeling. He encouraged his viewers, his siblings, parents, and friends to get out and there and get what they want - and assured them that in doing so, they would be making the world a better place.

He is survived by his life partner, Athena Lindsay, mother and father, Jim and Cheryl Lindsay, brother and sister-in-law, Jordan and Shawna Lindsay, sister and brother-in-law, Zack and Rachel de Boer, brother, Jacob Lindsay, Jacob’s fiancé, Alyssa Spencer, brother, Jared Lindsay, Uncle Matt Lindsay, and, his beloved dog, Simba. He joins his paternal grandparents, Jim Lindsay Sr. and Kathleen Stablein, and maternal grandparents, Ted and Lori Matthews.

Josh lived and loved with a strong passion for the people that he cared for. He had the natural ability to make life better for anyone who was lucky enough to get some time with him. His unmatched charismatic vigor drew people in, and his impact on people was never small and never forgettable. He has touched all of our lives in positive ways and is dearly missed.