Donald B (Mitch) Mitchell was a man rich in the things in life that count: a strong work ethic, a sense of fairness for the common man and above all, an unconditional love for his children, grandchildren and family.
The year was 1923 and America was in the midst of great change. The cities thrived with the booming sounds of industry, as the fires of WWI smoldered in the east. Not everyone in America took part in the industrial revolution – many tended farms and avoided the hectic place of manufacturing in favor of the small town life. It was into these changing times that Cecil and Rose (Williams) Mitchell of Walloon Lake, MI, welcomed their son, Donald, on Jan 8, 1923. Donald, as a child was known to the family is “Buell” and latter he was known to family and friends as “Mitch”. The youngest of three children, Mitch joined his brother William and sister Lavina, who sadly passed away when she was 17, to complete the Mitchell household. Because of the economics of the day, jobs were hard to come by and the Mitchell family moved many times in order to find work. During these times, Mitch went to live with his grandparents in Boyne Falls, MI. He quickly fostered a loving relationship with his grandparents, especially his grandmother whom he admired.
As a young person, Mitch enjoyed time outdoors, fishing and hunting whenever he got a chance. Mitch told the story of when he was a child and rode a dog drawn sled to school during the winter and always taking along his rifle for hunting after school. Amazingly, while school was in session, the dog would sit patiently waiting for Mitch, as would his gun in the corner. One of Mitch’s favorite hobbies was fashioning carts out of buggy wheels. With great ingenuity, he built a four-wheeled cart with a board between the axles to sit on and they would ride the cart and steer it with their feet as it went down hill. He even persuaded a teacher to ride this fabulous contraption, which unfortunately landed him in the ditch, but was remembered by all.
Mitch also excelled in the classroom. He was very bright – bright enough to skip a grade in elementary school. Mitch’s academic career began in Boyne Falls in the area elementary school but later moved to North Muskegon where he attended high school. Being a teenager, the next natural course in life was having a car. Mitch’s parents conceded to let him get one if he could pay for it. With great inspiration, Mitch worked at White Lake Green House saving enough money to buy his first car, a 1929 Model A Ford. In his senior year, he went back to live with his Dad and Step Mother where he graduated from Gaylord High School in 1940. Continuing his strong work ethics, Mitch also worked at the Audrain Hardware while helping his grandfather on the farm.
Soon after graduating, Mitch joined many other proud young American men by enlisting in the US Army, answering the call to protect his nation during WWII. He proudly served with the Army Air Corps and trained as a medic. While stationed in Alabama, Mitch met a lovely young lady named Christine Hammett. The young couple was married in 1945, and had two wonderful sons – Michael and Patrick. Sadly, his marriage to Christine ended in divorce in 1957.
Having been discharged from the service, it was time for Mitch to find a job to support his young family. For a brief time, the family lived in the State of Washington before settling in the Muskegon area on Wolf Lake. Mitch took a job at Lakey Foundry where he worked prior to going to service, but soon found his calling in the auto industry working as a used car sales manager for Windatt Pontiac. Finally finding his niche in life, Mitch began his own car sales business called Mitchell Motors, which he operated from 1953 until 1959. After this, he worked for Derby Rambler as the General Manager. It was during this time that he came to appreciate being self-employed and in 1962, began to sell cars on his own again as Mitchell Motors located on Ottawa Street in Muskegon. This is where he remained until his retirement in 1985.
Life was not all work for Mitch; he found love once again with a family friend, Marion Evans, and they were married on Aug 29, 1959. When Mitch and Marion were wed, it symbolized not only the merging of two lives but also of two families. Marion had four children of her own and Mitch did a wonderful job of making their separate families into one laving group. He took great pride in his children, stepchildren, and grandchildren, and the successes in their lives are a great testimony to his parenting and fatherly guidance to them all. He and Marion also opened their hearts and home to a foreign exchange student, Anna Maria, from Finland, who became a welcomed addition of the Mitchell family. She remains in contact with the family she grew to love.
Mitch pursued everything he did with vigor and enthusiasm, including his hobbies. His love for the outdoors remained with him throughout his life. He was passionate about hunting and fishing, which he learned while growing up on the farm in upper Michigan. An avid fisherman, Mitch never missed an opening day of trout fishing. In order to stay out at the best fishing spots, Mitch cleverly converted an old school bus into a camper. His family referred to this mobile as a “smoke house” because of its wood burning stove that filled the bus with smoke. This hot rod mobile could maneuver back into some very remote fishing holes. Though the road was often narrow and trees pelted the sides of the bus. Another great passion of Mitch’s was flying, which stemmed from his years of service in the Army Air Force. After obtaining his pilot’s license, he and his family and friends enjoyed many years of recreational flying. It often came in handy for his car sales business too because he could fly a friend to various towns and they in turn would drive back a car for his lot. His flying days, however, where not always smooth sailing. Mitch often told this story of a time when he had to make a forced landing on M-37, but took great satisfaction in the fact that he landed and stayed in the correct lane. Another adventurous mishap occurred when Mitch and friend were returning to Muskegon. With his friend at the controls, the plane ran out of fuel just short of the runway and the landed between two trees, shearing off the wings, but both walked away injury free and ready to fly again. His family often accompanied him on many flights and Marion also remembered a forced landing flight she ws on with Mitch, though her confidence in her husband never wavered.
Mitch’s hobbies, however, did not stop at fishing, hunting and flying. He also loved gardening and had a reputation for growing the best tomatoes and vegetables in his garden. Always active, he and Marion enjoyed going dancing on the weekends with family and friends, particularly enjoying music of the big bands. In later years, Mitch became fascinated with the local casinos and turned into a self-proclaimed blackjack expert – surprisingly doing quite well. Mitch was not a man of pretentious tastes; he simply loved eating. On one memorable occasion, the family attended a reception at which Mitch made sure to seat next to the dessert table and throughout the evening sampled every dessert on the table. Not just a good eater, Mitch was also a fabulous cook. The family was especially fond of his delicious Easter hams, which he cooked to perfection on the grill, thus being dubbed the “grill master”. Another great greasure in Mitch’s life was his precious grandchildren who he loved spending time with. His many life experiences were shared with them through stories, which Mitch loved to tell and his grandchildren loved to hear.
Donald B (Buell) Mitchell of Muskegon passed away on Wed, Jun 9, 2004. He was preceded in death by his sister, Lavina Ingalls, his brother William Ingalls, and grandson, Mark Evans. Surviving are his wife, Marion Mitchell; his children: Michael and Kathy Mitchell of Wyoming, Patrick and Linda Mitchell of Hudsonville, Jan and Nora Evans of Leonard, MI, Robert Evans Sr of Branch, MI, Dean and Cathie Evans of Whitehall, Ruth Ann and Ted Hindes of Petersburg, NJ; 20 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.; cousin, Gene Williams of Gaylord, MI; and a foreign exchange daughter from Finland, Anna Maia Lindholm.
A celebration of life service will be held Fri, Jun 11, at 1:30 pm at the Achterhoff Life Story Funeral Home, 1751 Peck Street. The family will gather at the funeral chapel on Fri from noon until the time of the memorial service where relatives and friends may meet his family.