Joel Golias

July 4, 2000 – September 2, 2022

I have recently been made aware that I am going to die tomorrow in a freak accident.
With that in mind, let me tell you about the life that I lived, and why I’m proud of myself for
staying true to what I believe.
I was born on Independence Day in the year 2000, a real Yankee Doodle Dandy. My
parents, David and Andrea Golias, made phone calls to their loved ones while the fireworks were
going off. What an incredible way to enter into the world with a bang! I was the oldest of four,
my brother being next in 2002, and my twin sisters in 2004.
I grew up in Mansfield, Ohio, only moving once when I was around 8 months old. I went
to school at Mansfield Christian School, all the way from preschool until senior year of high
school, but starting in third grade, my mom homeschooled me through MCS’s independent study
program. I then went about half homeschool and half on campus throughout high school,
accumulating forty college credit hours by the time I graduated, as well as achieving high marks
on standardized tests, including winning the National Merit Scholarship Award for the top 2500
students in my graduating class nationwide. This set me up well for college, and I attended the
University of Cincinnati, studying mechanical engineering for my undergraduate and
simultaneously studying business administration for my masters. This was through the ACCEND
program at UC, which allows for accelerated students to maintain their pace and graduate with
both degrees in the same year. I was on track to graduate with my BSME in May ’23 and my
MBA in August of the same year. My plan was to stay in Cincinnati for full-time employment,
targeting GE specifically for a potential employer.
My dear Sarah, best bean, I love you so so much. I know this will be hard for you to
process, but I want you to know that God still loves you. You can live your life to the fullest, and
please find another man to call your husband. I wouldn’t want you to be alone.
I was incredibly blessed to grow up in a stable home environment. My parents love each
other very well, and they raised me in such a way that I was able to succeed in their eyes. They
taught me truth about life, including the story of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a man that lived 2000
years ago. He taught many people about the nature of the world and how it was meant to be. He
showed people their brokenness, and helped them understand that they needed someone to help
them be reconciled to God, because God cannot be in the presence of someone who has done
wrong and has not repented. However, God shows his love for us in this, that Jesus, who was not
only a man, but was God in the flesh, came to this earth and lived the perfect life that did not
deserve punishment, but he died on the cross as the punishment for our sins that we should have
paid ourselves. This death was the proof that our sins are forgiven, as they have been buried with
Jesus in the grave. However, the story doesn’t end there. Not only did Jesus pay the price for our
sins with his death, he also was raised to life on the third day, showing that there is hope for us
who put our faith in him. He is the example of what is to come, the raising up of the believers
into eternal life in communion with God. Death is no longer something to fear, because through
it, we are able to be in the presence of the one who made us.
My faith was the essence of my life. I tried to live my life as an example for those who
would call themselves followers of Jesus; by loving others with everything I could offer, and by
leading in the capacities that I was gifted in, I showed people that there is hope in Jesus alone to
reconcile us to God. My hope is that in reading this, you also would be reconciled through faith,
casting off your old self and accepting the truth that Jesus offers. This is the hope for people like
me. People who are going to die one day and have to face the consequences of their earthly
actions. People like you, who have a chance to be with God.
Will you accept his offer of forgiveness?