The Towns: Linden-area family driven by love, faith encourage others amid difficult times

At a church on the Near East Side called The People After True Holiness, L.B. Towns Sr. leads a small but loyal congregation. 

Every Sunday, the 64-year-old street pastor's wife and 16 of their 19 children join him side-by-side in worship, where their unwavering faith and love for one another reaches its peak.

Several of his children, ranging in age from 2 to 16, help him inside the small sanctuary. Some of them help Towns recite scriptures and act as ushers, while the younger ones nod their heads in support.

Genesis Towns, 3, occupies herself with a tennis ball while sitting on the lap of her mother, Christinia Towns, during Sunday worship at People After True Holiness Ministries church. And when weather permits, the Towns gather at Hoover Dam to ignite the spirits of anyone willing to listen.

Above all things, Towns and his wife Christinia, 44, encourage their children and followers to rely on faith and love when faced with adversity. And with all that has transpired this year, this message has only grown more imminent, Towns said. 

"With everything going on, we need that faith and love," he said. "People are hurting right now."

Throughout the past 10 months of the coronavirus pandemic, the chaotic electoral process and continued social unrest in the U.S., the Towns have showered each other with love and prayer.

“You have to have a heart, a real heart to give to people,” Towns said. “You got to do all you can to make sure you’re compassionate.” 

L.B. Towns Sr. prays with his family at home on Christmas Eve for the health of a relative who has returned home for hospice care.

Towns, who began his path in ministry nearly 30 years ago, said he has always encouraged others to share faith and benevolence. 

As a student-athlete at Linden McKinley High School, Towns earned a partial academic scholarship to attend Ohio University, eventually graduating in 1979.

In Athens, he joined the Campus Crusade for Christ and attended Mount Zion Baptist Church. From there, he continued to study the Bible and said he formed a life-long dedication to his Lord and savior.

“The more I got closer to God, the more he enlightened me about how I should direct my path," Towns said. "That was the peace he gave me, and I trusted Him.”

L.B. Towns Sr. sings and claps during Sunday morning services at People After True Holiness Ministries church.

While preaching at the New Tabernacle Church of Christ on Wentworth Road, Towns and Christinia met through a mutual friend in 2000. The street preacher said they were drawn to each other’s commitment to their faith and shared passion for the local community. 

The two were engaged by September 2000 and married the next month. After 20 years of marriage, Christinia said she couldn’t imagine a better role model for their children and a more fitting presence in their household.

“Just some of the things he instills I think are just so important,” she said. “When I’m out talking, especially to young people, I’ll give them that motto (about love and faith) and they say, 'Oh, I like that.'"

Along with connecting his children to the word of God, Towns said he has instilled a sense of compassion and hard work in them at an early age.

L.B. Towns Sr. and 15 of his children do pushups in the early morning outside of Linden-McKinley High School in Columbus. Towns instills discipline in his children by having them exercise several mornings each week.

Nearly every morning, as early as 6 a.m., he and his children jog to Linden McKinley High to run laps around the track. By the time each child is age 5, Towns said, they are able to recite dozens of Bible scriptures and do nearly 50 push-ups. 

Towns said this routine instills a sense of discipline and stability, which has translated to his children's academic and athletic pursuits. Most of his school-aged children have between a 3.5 and 4.0 GPA, he said, while racking up accomplishments in their individual sports.

“You’ve got to have the desire, the determination," he said. "It’s in your hands. It’s not given to you; you have to earn it. We have standards." 

L.B. Towns Jr., 16, who is the leading point guard at Linden McKinley, said that having an active father and mother has helped him and his siblings press forward in the face of hardship and be successful in whatever avenues they pursue. 

L.B. Towns Sr. yells words of encouragement to his sons' cross-country competitor, Matthew Conroy, during the City League cross country championship at Whetstone High School, as 5-year-old Love-Lea Towns looks on.us

Christopher Towns, 15, a sophomore at Patriot High School, said the biggest lesson he has learned from his father is that nobody can beat you as long as you have God, and the only defeat you can endure is rooted within.

“Just keep your head up, don’t let nothing get in your way," he said. "And if you fall, get up.”

The elder Towns said it’s important for him to keep his kids active, even more than he was, so they are more inclined to stay away from the violence that surrounds their Linden-area home. And while he said he isn't effusive with praise, he is proud of the work they have done and the people they are becoming, a testament to their work ethic and passion to help others, he said.

L.B. Towns Jr. drives in for a layup during his fall league basketball game at Grace New Covenant Church in Columbus. Towns is the point guard on the Linden-McKinley High School basketball team and also runs track for the Panthers.

“I don’t just give them praises but they been getting busy, so I got to give it to them," Towns said. "They have that drive."

Kevin Darthard, head coach of the Linden McKinley basketball team, described the Towns children as "yes-sir and no-sir kids" with a big work ethic and overwhelming level of love for one another.

Despite the family of 18 living in a small home just a few houses from the high school, Darthard said they are instilled with qualities that have inspired him and others in the community. 

"You can just feel the love and respect come from them, even with the things that they may or may not be experiencing," he said.

– The Columbus Dispatch

Former Ohio State All-American scores in commercial real estate market

Just days after being cut from the Cincinnati Bengals and retiring from the NFL in 2009, former Ohio State University All-American Mike Doss was at a crossroads. At 28, Doss had no clear direction as to what life would look like outside the game of football.

While some remember him as a standout Buckeye defensive player and a key member of the 2002 National Championship team, Doss was burdened with the pressure many athletes face upon retirement: how to redefine their identity.

"I basically put my hands up and was like, 'Man, I'm burnt out,'" Doss said in a recent interview. "This thing is stressful, just not knowing your next paycheck or your next move and being able to provide for my family. The economy was down and everything was down.”

For nearly nine months, Doss tried to map out what the next phase of his life would look like. Instead of training throughout the summer to prepare for a grueling 16-game regular pro season, Doss sought out opportunities that aligned with his passions, finally settling on marketing and sales.

The Canton native returned to Columbus and took up jobs in medical sales, where he sold medical implants and assisted surgeons with operational equipment for Zimmer Biomet and worked for Johnson & Johnson as a product manager.

While he enjoyed working in sales, Doss said he always had an affinity for real estate. The 39-year-old had rented out subsidized and Section 8 housing, but was often restricted from bigger deals due to his scattered work schedule.

In the fall of 2019, Doss decided to make the transition to real estate full-time after meeting Bob Weiler and his son, Skip, who head the commercial real estate giant The Robert Weiler Company. 

"I was getting to a place where I wanted to make a larger investment, and then, once I crossed a certain threshold, it would become my lifestyle," he said. 

Set to graduate with a master's degree from OSU's Business of Operational Excellence program in December 2019, Doss shadowed Skip Weiler for months to gain more insight into the corporate real estate market.

Doss received his real estate license and began working for the Robert Weiler Company in March, where he's quickly become a bright spot in the office.

"The important things is he wants to learn and has experience selling," Bob Weiler said. "I said if you can sell to doctors, you can certainly sell to entrepreneurs."

Weiler said Doss has added a "calm and gentle approach" to the office and is already closing deals and generating high-profile leads.

"He's fit in beautifully with the rest of us," he said.

Following a quarterback's example

Former OSU and NFL quarterback Bob Hoying made a similar transition to commercial real estate. After six seasons in the league, he partnered with Brent Crawford to form Crawford Hoying in Dublin, where he guides the company's $750 million in new development business.

Like Doss, the former third-round pick was thinking about life after football following his final season in the NFL in 2000.

He began investing in properties during his playing days, setting the ground for a second career that's spanned 20-plus years. Still, Hoying said he was saddened by the thought of leaving the game he loved and having to start a new career. 

"Even though I had an avenue, there's a point where you realize your football career is over with," he said. "You go through mild depression and then it's all over; you're still trying to find what's next in life."

Having had the same experience, Hoying said he's proud of the strides Doss has made and is confident he will be successful in his new role. 

Family rules

Since working under the Weiler family, Doss says he's embraced the importance of growing in true business and expanding his brand to establish a legacy outside the game of football, one he can pass on to his wife, Jasmine, and three daughters Cadence, 3, Jordan, 6, and Mariah, 8 and younger brother, Anthony Kirk Jr., 18.

"It afforded me a good lifestyle, but I wanted more time with my family ... I decided to go all in, so that was it," Doss said.

Doss said he's looking forward to the challenges that come with commercial real estate, especially with him being one of the few minorities in the business. But knowing there's a family atmosphere at the Weiler Company, there hasn't been overwhelming pressure to learn on his own.

"Having that team around me has made a world of difference, versus being an individual agent trying to find my way," he said.

But Doss said the initial move to real estate wasn't without its struggles. He and others have faced the same challenges surrounding COVID-19, which has gravely affected the economy and prompted local businesses to shut down their offices and shift to virtual work spaces.

Still, Weiler said the three-time All-American has had early success due to his past experience in sales and connections as a local fixture among residents and die-hand Buckeye fans. 

Like former OSU football player and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, Weiler said Doss' name garners the same attention from prospective buyers.

"I hope and pray that added value is that I'm a local," Doss said. "One of my good friends calls me the small-town celebrity.'

Doss credits his wife for supporting him through the various obstacles and shifts he's made in his life and career.

"She held it down and gave me the support to search for something I liked," he said of Jasmine. "The opportunity to look hard and soul search and pray spiritually so God can point me in the right direction.

"She was the rock even when she didn't want to be." 

Jasmine, 39, who's known Doss since they were both 12, said she's remained by his side in the face of adversity. During times of uncertainty, she gives him positive reinforcement and challenges him to further pursue his passions. And while the real estate industry is a large undertaking, she's confident her husband will continue flourishing in the new role. 

"Where we come from, you're always behind the 8 ball," Jasmine Doss said. "The first expectation is that you're not going to make it, that you won't be successful and if you do anything other than that it's a surprise. I think that's always going to be a driving factor behind everything he does."

As he transitions to another phase in his personal life, Doss said he's focused on building a legacy so his daughters and brother won't have to struggle like he did. 

"I'm just going to continue climbing that ladder of hard work, education and perseverance to really build something for myself and my family, so hopefully my daughters won't have a need."

– The Columbus Dispatch