Elizabeth Ann Oswalt (born September 29, 1969; died September 5, 2020) lived in Mansfield, Ohio, in her beloved apartment on Wood St. for many years before she died. Prior to living here, Beth lived in an apartment also in Mansfield that was closer to The Kingwood Center, a favorite place of Beth’s to sit and contemplate the day or trance out to some music.
Beth graduated from Wynford High School in 1987. Beth was a good student and demonstrated a strength in literature and language. Beth was also a very compliant student, for the most part (in contrast to her younger sister, Amy).
Upon graduation, Beth gladly left “the farm” and moved to an apartment in Columbus. There were a few steps in between involving starting work on a degree at main campus Ohio State and living in her parents’ rental home, but the end of this era was Beth living just down the road from the rental when her sister, Amy, moved into the family rental.
Through a series of oddish incidents…including her sister Amy’s school failure as well, Beth ended up living with her boyfriend, M., not too far from campus. Amy spent a month or so with them but the place was quite small (one room) for three people.
Beth eventually left M. for a new boyfriend, D., and moved into his house just south of Ohio State campus where he lived with an assortment of humans who may have contributed (unintentionally) to Beth’s deep dive into mental illness.
It was at this time, 1990, that Beth was given the psych medicine, Haldol for the first time. From this point forward, until her death in 2020, Beth was given a substantial amount and variety of psych medicine. She was also hospitalized in the psych ward of a hospital somewhere in the ~25-40 range.
After leaving the psych ward for the first time, Beth lived in Mansfield and Columbus, Ohio – with various family members including her mom, sister, Amy, and dad. Beth ended up living in Mansfield, Ohio with her dad.
During this time, Beth was living on her own and attempting to lead what society would deem a “normal life”. She worked at a restaurant, she took classes at the local community college even doing a practicum at a nursing home as a recreational therapist. Beth visited her aunt in Hawaii and her sister Amy in southern California. Her dad and stepmom ensured that she was okay, had company, ate good food, and took her medicine.
Slowly, without anyone really saying a date that this happened, Beth began to disappear. She withdrew from family events. She became worried about money and would only take cold showers no matter the outside temperature. Despite attempts to draw her out into the world – installing a TV with cable in her apartment, for example – nothing really could, in this physical world, hold Beth’s attention long enough for her to stay here.
On September 5th, 2020, after a two year battle with breast cancer, Beth disappeared from this Earth – hopefully to be heard from again.
