Donna C. Mann

Donna Carol Mann was born in Fayetteville on July 27th,1945, but served in places outside her hometown as a missionary and teacher.  She attended Fayetteville High School and then Bob Jones University, where she graduated in 1967.

Following graduation, she taught in a private school near Asheboro, NC, but felt a call elsewhere.  Having never traveled beyond her home or family in North Carolina and West Virginia, she left to serve in Nairobi, Kenya with the support of an independent Baptist mission board. 

Her strong faith led her to this mission, and her life was rich.   She made friends, taught in Nairobi and even traveled to small villages to teach.  She learned fairly quickly that without a translation of the Bible into various languages including Swahili, her first task was teaching English. Developing that skill became a life-long mission for her, and one that translated into other professional development.

After twelve years in the mission field, Donna returned to the States and became an English as a second language teacher in Fulton County Schools in Atlanta.  After a few years there, she returned to her home town of Fayetteville to teach as a reading support specialist in the public schools.

Her employment in the Fayetteville area schools was not her only work.  Through her service at Village Drive Baptist she taught the “Good News Clubs” at Fort Bragg, Bible Study, Mission Friends, and served on the Board of Directors of Village Christian Academy.  She prayed with the pastor, Dr. Lee every Sunday morning before the service.  And, Donna was devoted to her choir. 

A wonderful musician, she loved to sing and improvise on the piano.  Music was a central part of her life, as she had studied the piano as a young person and initially majored in music in college.  She worked for her church up until the week that she passed, and she will be missed by staff and congregation.  She is survived by her bothers, Don Mann and David Mann, and her sister, Patricia Mann Thel.  She also has five nephews, Brian Mann, Scott Mann, Stephen Mann, Thomas Thel and Joseph Thel, and one niece, Elizabeth Thel.  She will be missed by her family and friends, who all believe that she is now being rewarded for faithful and true service.

A private graveside service will be held on Thursday, November 29, and a Celebration of Life will be held at Village Drive Baptist later in December.

Arrangements by Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home.

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