Joshua D Mann

He was born in Columbus, Ohio but, as a typical missionary kid, had lived on three continents by the time he turned four. He lived a life full of small mercies and great heart.

A crowd of Cameroonian friends surrounded him whenever he went outside, which was frequent, as all the best childhood games were played in the trees and open fields. When he got his first bicycle and learned how to ride, the whole neighborhood learned with him.

He formed strong new friendships when he attended boarding school at the American School in Garoua Boulai. Josh spent many hours playing games of Risk and Clue and King's Corner and teaching the older kids how to subtly cheat to keep the younger ones winning and laughing too hard to remember to be homesick. He could often be found high in the dense leaf tops of mango trees with only his flipflops at the base on the trunk signaling which tree he'd gone up and the trail of smaller flipflop pairs marking how many others had gone up after.

The return to the United States for high school hurt, but he powered through it, running mile upon mile along the Scioto River as a member of the Hilliard High School cross country team. He went on to attend and graduate from Grove City College in Pennsylvania with a degree in Christian thought and philosophy.

Then his own mind betrayed him. He struggled for fifteen years with schizoaffective disorder sometimes with success and too frequently without it. In precious periods of balanced medications, he painted beautiful Mantic Games miniatures, made YouTube videos of his work, and encouraged others in their painting as Redfox4242. He joined support groups and made coffee. He found ways to contribute from sorting and scanning mail for his parents and brother working in global missions overseas to cleaning bathrooms for minimum wage.

But there were also much needed mental health hospitalizations, poor decisions made while under the influence of psychosis, and deep hurt. Life goals narrowed and were made small. His greatest hope was even in the negative: Josh feared that he might one day do harm to a loved one or stranger and become another news story whose simplified coverage of a complex problem made life more difficult for others with mental illness.

In this his success was absolute. Josh drove himself to the emergency room, accepted rides to mental health facilities, and authorized in patient treatment time and time again. His heart endured.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Josh Mann is survived by: his parents, Pastor Dave and Pam Mann; his sister and brother-in-law, Joelle and Andy Presby, his niece, Gwen Presby; his brother and sister-in-law, Isaac and Melanie Mann, his nephews, Zachary and Sammy Mann; and his brother and sister-in-law, E.J. and Sandra Mann. He was preceded in death by his nephew Henry Mann.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 18th at UALC: The Church at Mill Run (3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, Ohio) beginning at 4:00. The funeral will be at 6:00, with reception following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Josh to NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, (www.nami.org ). Arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL.