YOUNG MAN GAVE TWO YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE DESPITE MEDICAL CHALLENGES BEFORE SUDDEN DEATH AT AGE 24

ANNA—On Tuesday, July 26th, 24-year-old Janssen Morse was killed in a head-on collision at the intersection of Powell Pkwy and C.R. 423 in Anna, Texas but desired to graduate to the next life with a solid foundation of faith and service.

Janssen was in the passenger side of the vehicle, diagnosed with autism, narcolepsy with cataplexy and unable to drive. He had spent the day with his father, Keith, and as he drove Janssen home from a church Bible study, they were hit less than a mile from home just after 9 p.m.

Keith and his wife Jayne are dedicated parents devoted to sharing Janssen’s story and the miracles that followed this tragic incident. Janssen was a young man full of faith and dedicated his life to serving others.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, young men often serve proselyting missions, leaving home for two years to bring others to Christ. Janssen was exempt from this service due to his health challenges, but his desire to share his light outweighed his excuses. Instead, Janssen served a mission for his Church for two years as a local service missionary. His call to serve came during the Covid-19 pandemic, overcoming another easy excuse as many young men were delaying missions.

“He loved people,” said his mother, Jayne. “Everyone that has had any interaction with Janssen has said all the same thing. He was a wonderful, special person. He was kind to everyone. He had no guile. He was beloved in the church and throughout the community.”

Janssen regularly volunteered at food banks serving the homeless, including The Samaritan Inn in McKinney. His parents would drive him for his service, as his wrestle his medical circumstances kept him from being independent. He wore a black nametag to indicate he was a missionary who had the name of Jesus Christ over his heart. Janssen showed love to every visitor who came for food or a friend. He also was the first service missionary outside of Utah for the Temple Square Campus doing virtual projects with his technology skills to impact people all around the world.

“He had just tremendous depth of character,” said Dallas East service mission leader Mark Atkinson. “Here’s a soul who is honorably excused from the duty to serve a mission, and he found a way. The Church started its service mission program, and he was all in.”

This service required Janssen to attend weekly calls, devotionals, monthly conferences, and several visits to his service locations throughout North Texas. He loved Star Wars and always had a Baby Yoda in the background of his virtual conference sessions. His mother says in his room he has a corkboard with honors from his missionary service and post-it notes of uplifting scriptures and messages such as, “God loves me just as I am.” Jayne and Keith now visit this room to seek peace as they lost their only child.

Janssen had many medical challenges, and his parents moved to Texas to seek better medical care in the DFW Metroplex. They sought out Dr. J. Brandon Brock, a medical provider with thirteen credentials listed after his name and a true expert in childhood neurological disorders. Janssen had traveled from California to see Dr. Brock on occasion, but a little over a year ago, they moved to Texas for more direct care. This move occurred in the middle of Janssen’s missionary service, and instead of making excuses, Janssen continued to fulfill his missionary work.

The crash was reported by the Anna Texas Police Department due to a road closure, and Keith remarkably sustained no severe medical damages or broken bones. Keith was shielded from the pain of seeing his son, who was declared dead on the scene, due to a miraculous curtain of the car’s roof upon impact. Keith says he was able to hear Janssen’s voice after the incident, despite the tragic event. His wife Jayne said that she was supposed to drive her son to the Bible study that night but felt severely ill the second she offered to drive. The couple felt that this experience was a divine blessing and focuses on the positive indications that Janssen’s body is free from pain and hardship.

The night before the three-car accident Janssen and his parents had a family prayer. Jayne said, “He asked the Lord to take away his narcolepsy. He wanted to grow and progress, and he felt stuck. He loved people and wanted to continue serving on the other side.”

The Morse family shares a special bond of sacred experiences leading up to Janssen’s passing, including sacred worship in the Dallas Texas Temple.

“Janssen knew he was leaving the earth and accepted what God had given him,” said Keith. “He told me, ‘I just want the peace from the temple 24-7. Can I work there?’ He wanted to be there every day to feel close to God.”

The Morses are comforted by the outpouring of family and friends who were touched by Janssen. Many are sending notes for a collection of Janssen’s legacy. Funeral services for Janssen will be a celebration of life on Saturday, August 6th, with a viewing at 11 a.m. and service at 12 p.m. at his church, 737 Melissa Rd, Melissa, TX 75454.

“I call it a graduation,” says Jayne. “We will move forward and always follow his example of love and service.”

All photos for this article are courtesy of  Mark and Julie Atkinson.