Marianna Chelsea Mann

Lafayette - Marianna Chelsea Mann was born October 27,1989 in San Antonio, Texas. Addiction took her life Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Lafayette, LA. She is the daughter of surviving parents, Candace Denee’ Mann Miller and her husband Jacob O Miller III & Robert Dean Mann and wife, Diana Mann. She is survived by her former husband, Brandon Use’ and their son Vincent Use’, another son born in 2019, her brother, Ryan Mann and wife Megan Mann, her brother Jeremy Mann, 3 nephews, Grandmother, Mary Miller, Aunts & Uncles, several cousins, and many friends across the United States. She is preceded in death by her beloved maternal grandparents, CR” Grandad” & Charlcie Johnson, “Granny” and paternal grandparents, Dr Raymond “Daddy Ray” & Jo Ann Mann “Mommy Jo” and most recently her eldest brother, Aaron Matthew Mann in February 2024. Marianna was adopted at 3 yrs. old and was a joyful, much cherished little girl who once told our adoption caseworker when asked who her best friend was, “Jesus” was her quick answer. Marianna’s Grandad called her “a little songbird” from the time we adopted her, and she had a beautiful talent using her voice. Singing along in the car to “You Say” by Lauren Daigle will be an everlasting memory to cherish. Marianna spent over half of her life battling addiction and depression/anxiety. Marianna never wanted to be defined only by her addiction and mistakes, she was so much more than that. She made it clear most recently that if she was to ever die because of it, she wanted people to know the truth with the hope that honesty about her death could help break the stigma about addicts and get people talking about the problem of addiction and help them because is taking away so many lives. She was sober for 10 months and so proud of her achievement. Marianna was a beautiful, intelligent young woman who fell into addiction’s grip. It can happen to anyone! She was headstrong and outspoken but would do anything for anyone and always lit up the room with her bright beautiful smile, even while struggling with her demons. She loved her family deeply, but addiction and its chains bound her to its vice. Marianna’s greatest sorrow was that she was not present to rear her 2 children because of addiction’s hold on her. Marianna believed that hiding her cause of death would help no one, but if her story could help just one addict push even harder for another day of sobriety, encourage an active user to choose recovery or shine a light on this horrible epidemic, then it would be worth coming out of the shadows. In the last 10 months she was open about her struggles and now is not the time to change that. This strong attitude with a fierce drive and loving beautiful heart that wanted to help other addicts in their battle is one of the many things that she can be defined by, not her addiction. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4–13, “Love is patient, love is kind, Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited,5 does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.10 But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.11 When I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.12 For now we see indistinctly,[b] as in a mirror,[but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully as I am fully known.13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” None of us can fully see this great big, beautiful gift of love and grace right now, but someday, God will bend every knee and open each of our eyes, and we WILL see. Our daughter, sister, friend and Mother, Marianna fully knows now. She can see fully, face to face, the glory and love of the Father, the love that was poured out for her throughout her life. I wish she could have seen it better and lived into it more while she was here. It’s our prayer that those her short life touched can see addiction as the illness it is and help addicts find a sober lifestyle and experience life well. We pray Jesus can give us eyes to see, too, eyes to see the hurt and brokenness in the people we know and still love them anyway. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. It can take and destroy anyone in its path, including their families and friends and people who love them. Addiction hides in the faces of everyday people all around us. Marianna wanted to live. She had dreams of a career, being a mother to her children and she fought a hard battle all the way! She just couldn’t break the chains of this wide spreading demon that’s wiping out a generation. Cremation will be under the direction of Cypress Funeral Home and Crematory in Maurice, LA. There will be a private memorial service soon. We trust that now she is safe in Jesus arms. Now, just look forward to seeing God making something good rise from the ashes. We will wait and just look forward to God making all things new, all things whole, until completeness comes. We hope that others will contribute to the drug rehabilitation efforts in our community and any monetary contributions will go into the efforts of your nearest Celebrate Recovery Program. Arrangements have been entrusted to Cypress Funeral Home & Crematory, 206 W. Lafayette St., Maurice, LA 70555.

Marianna Chelsea Mann

October 27, 1989 - May 21, 2024