Joshua Douglas Meyer

Our sweet Joshua, went home to be with the Lord on the morning of January 2 2024 with his dad and mom by his side.

A Memorial Service for Joshua will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Christian Life Fellowship in Mayville with Pastor Matt Lewandowski officiating. A visitation for Joshua will take place on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at CLF from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service at 11:00 a.m.

Joshua was our very special needs son/brother who taught us all what patience and persistence really means. Joshua was diagnosed as autistic when he was very young, which tells you that he always needed help with day to day activities. Everything from eating, bathing, bathroom breaks, special beds, and special chairs that rock and chairs with wheels. You come to realize that your life is going to be very different than you may have imagined. But now that these times have ended, you realize that you would do it all over again, just to spend other day with Joshua!

It has always been a labor of love taking care of Joshua. His first 7 years were filled with early autism intervention in the home from Wisconsin Early Autism Program (WEAP). The team meetings were held in our home, usually with Joshua, Ann and 4 to 7 other women. Joshua seemed to have more “girl-friends” than your average 5 year old. Everyone loving on Joshua, trying to teach him some basic kid skills that come easily to other children, but take special focus for him. With Joshua’s smile and always happy attitude, people could not help but fall in love with Joshua! It was very easy to go places with Joshua and our family with just a stroller and some extra snacks. We did a lot of traveling together as a home schooling family, there were not a lot of limitations on where we could go, except for his therapy times.

Joshua started attending Horicon grade school, which happened to be the same grade school that his grandfather (Ann’s father) attended. It’s a small world indeed. They loved having Joshua in the earlier grades. Crystal was a very caring compassionate teacher and did not have many issues at all with Joshua early on. However, when Joshua got a little older, the challenges began. Joshua was always a sweet boy, but he loved to play with mechanical items like folding chairs…and Joshua did not care if someone happened to be sitting in the chair he decided to play with. He was also known to run down the halls and out the door, if he was so inclined. These antics eventually brought Joshua to be placed in a 160 acre special needs school named Genesee Lake School (GLS). There are many fond stories to tell about attending school at GLS, but not for now.

The next approximate 7 year period brought some more special challenges in Joshua’s life and ours. Joshua was further diagnosed with Duplication 15q Chromosome (Dup15q). This new diagnosis came with the statement that Joshua would develop seizures by his 9th birthday…and sure enough, 1 week before his 9th birthday, head drop seizures began. We started, as most parents do, off to Children’s hospital in Milwaukee. After struggling and advocating with the doctors for over 1 year; initially having no doctor assigned for Joshua’s care, having little to no success stopping his ever increasing seizures, having brain surgery, only to find out there were no cancer cells, God lead us to seek a different direction for Joshua.

Following a recommendation from Ann’s sister-in-law, we were off to see Dr. Edgar in our home town of Green Bay. After 1 overnight stay in the hospital, Dr. Edgar was able to fully control all of Joshua’s seizures for many years to come. Praise the Lord! With the seizures under control, we again were able to travel with Joshua and do many fun things with family.
Joshua loved spending time in the pool/lake. But be prepared to get splashed and splashed! Joshua loved to beat the drumsticks on any surface…including windows…lol.
Joshua loved his talking Lion so much, we had to buy 3 of them until he stopped pushing the eyeballs in or breaking a leg. His barking dog, has passed the test of time and is in perfect shape. Each Christmas and birthday, our family would have a contest to see who could buy Joshua the most fun toy he would actually play with the most. I believe each of us has won that prestigious Joshua award at some point in time. Sometimes, however, the bow and/or bubble wrap would steal the show.

The last years of Joshua’s life saw an increase of daily challenges in the area of seizure activities, which created a more stressful routine for all. Joshua’s seizures were no longer under control. Each year we would try another drug solution to try to get these new seizures under control, but nothing ever seemed to work out. Joshua would have mixtures of stare seizures, which would sometimes be followed by major shaking seizures that would cause Joshua to fall stiff to the ground. These new seizures created an increasing atmosphere of walking/sitting on egg shells, not knowing if we would need to blast off like a lightning bolt to try to catch Joshua before a fall.

Joshua would end up with many bruises and sore butts from the occasional falls when we were just not fast enough. Joshua also began to lose his confidence in stepping down a simple step or trying to walk on bumpy terrain. His play structure that he loved to climb up and down on, became none existent. Shower time could sometimes become a panic to survive should a seizure hit at an unsuspecting moment.

Through all these challenges of life, Joshua never lost his innocent, loving smile and attitude of patience and persistence to go through it all. Joshua never complained about anything that life threw his way. There was perhaps a hand full of times we recall or were noted to us by a teacher where Joshua would break down in tears for no apparent reason we could figure out. Then, Joshua would go back to his calm, pleasant self, as though nothing ever happened.

For all of Joshua’s 21 years 4 months and 13 days of life, we have fully trusted in the Lord. Knowing that God creates great value and purpose for each person’s life, Joshua has completed his race and is now with our Lord and Savior Jesus (Yeshua) and our Peace (Jehovah Shalom).

Joshua is survived by his loving parents, Thomas and Ann Meyer and his Siblings: Andrew Meyer, Zach (and Emma, along with nephew Canaan) Meyer, David (and Cassidy) Meyer, and Kristina Meyer.
Joshua is survived by his grandmother: Marge (Greisinger) Frase
Joshua is survived by many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Joshua is preceded in death by his grandparents: Douglas Frase, Andrew and Irene Meyer, Uncle/Aunt: James and Carol (Meyer) Lawniczak, and
Cousins: Aaron Frase and John Mecklenburg.

Joshua has no more pain, no seizures, no bruises, and we are sure he is talking up a storm and asking many questions!
For all those that cared for Joshua over the years and loved on him, we thank you!

You will always hold a very special place in our hearts!
Psalm 118 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”