William Edward Mitchell

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East Aurora High School Northern Illinois University

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William Mitchell Obituary

Mitchell, William Edward
passed away on April 15, 2011. William Edward Mitchell "Bill", "Mitch", 80, of Mesa, Arizona gave us one more reason to hate April 15 when he passed away due to complications from viral encephalitis. He died peacefully with his family by his side. Born Jan 4, 1931 to Verl S and Gladys (Brewer) Mitchell in Aurora, IL, Bill graduated from East Aurora HS in 1948, proudly served in the USAF from 1951-1953, and earned a BA degree in Business from Northern Illinois Univ in 1957. An Arizona resident since 1975, he retired in 1996 after a long, distinguished career in the insurance business. Bill was a talented amateur golfer and charter member of the "Wild Bunch" at Arizona Golf Resort. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Anna (Lueck), son William (Sara) their children Korte and Madi, daughter Jan Actipis (Brad) their sons Brandon and Ryan, daughter Jane Buzzurro (partner Mark Hopkins) her sons Daniel and Anthony, and son David. He is also survived by his brothers Richard (Sheila) and Donald (Roxanne), sister Sharon Peterson (Michael), numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Bill's name may be directed to the National Hospice Foundation (nationalhospicefoundation.org). A memorial service to honor William Edward Mitchell will be held Friday, Aprill 22, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park and Funeral Care 400 S. Power Rd. Mesa, AZ 85206 (480)830-4422. Please pay tribute to Bill by visiting the family's memorial at www.MariposaGardens.com.
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Published by The Arizona Republic on Apr. 21, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for William Mitchell

7 Entries

May 10, 2011

a good buddy since kindergarden. Many good memories with my lifetime association with Bill Fred Neiser

April 30, 2011

Pat received the news of Bill's passing when Jo Aycock called him. Pat worked with Bill at Farmers Insurance for many years. We extend our sympathy to Anna and the family. Patrick B. and Heather Tobin. Glendale, Arizona

Wes VanAlstyne

April 27, 2011

Dear Anna,
I just learned of Bill's death from Dick Willey. I guess I wasn't surprised, but still very saddened. I will always remember Bill's wry humor, and his super golf skills. I sure will miss you and him at Logan this year - and beyond.
Please accept my sincerest condolences.
Wes VanAlstyne

David & Donna Lee

April 22, 2011

We express our deepest sympathy.

April 22, 2011

Bill was a very kind and great person. We enjoyed being with him on some holidays and having him in our home. He was very gracious and had a great smile. We will miss him very much.

Love, Bud and Cora

Jane Buzzurro

April 21, 2011

Dad,
I love you and I am going to miss you so much!! You were an awesome father. Calm, kind, caring, generous. You were always so patient with me. You were a great Grandpa to my boys, took them fishing in San Luis Obispo, bought them their first golf clubs and helped teach them to golf. We all will miss you very much and think of you always with wonderful memories.

Love, Jane

Jan Actipis

April 21, 2011

I have many fond memories of my Dad, here are a few....

When I was growing up, I really liked pets and was able to convince my Dad to let me have 3 cats, 2 gerbils (which turned into 6 after about two months), and a very loud guinea pig. Dad tolerated the cats and the gerbils, even when all six escaped from their cage. One of them somehow ended up in the heating duct. We could hear it running around the ductwork from the basement. Luckily, we were able to retrieve it without having to tear the house apart. The guinea pig, on the other hand, would scream constantly so Dad informed me that it had to go. Agreeing that the guinea pig had to go, Dad took him to a nice farm. I was telling someone at work that raised guinea pigs that mine had screamed so much that my Dad actually made me get rid of it and took it to a Farm...he looked at me and said...you do know where the "Farm" is right?

“What????”

I later asked him about the guinea pig, but he had no recollection of the guinea pig or the "Farm". Dad acted like he didn't care much for the animals, but there were many times that I would catch him talking to the “kitty” or giving the dog special treats.

My Dad also took me fishing at the Fox River. (Well, I did a lot of fishing but I believe it was just an excuse for him and Dick Stole to have a few beers.) As we would catch the carp, Dad would tell me to throw them into the woods because they said they were bad for the river. I couldn't bear to hear them flop around in the leaves so when Dad was distracted, I would sneak over and put the fish back in the river (sorry Dad). Every spring in Illinois, we would all go down to the nursery and pick out a tomato plant to plant back by the garage. They were always the best tomatoes.

I also remember the year we took a cross country trip to Arizona! Dad really showed his patience on that trip. There was a horrible storm on the way through St. Louis, hail in Texas and our poor car overheated in the middle of the desert in Arizona. The only person that came along was a deaf prospector on a mule...no lie. I'm not sure how, but Dad managed to get us help and back to the comfort of an air conditioned gas station. In fact, Dad liked Arizona so much he put in a transfer and we moved to Arizona. We made quite an impression on the neighbors the first day when fire department was called because Dad tried out the gas grill, which caught on fire and almost ended up in the pool.

My Dad took me to Cardinal games, ASU games (probably because he was embarrassed when Mom pulled out her book at the game) and I took him to a few D-Backs games. We always had a great time. He also often came to watch my boys play baseball and bought each of them their first set of golf clubs. He wanted to make sure that they would enjoy golfing as much as he did. Hopefully someday they will be as good of a golfer as he was.

My Dad took me on my first snow skiing trip, my first water skiing trip, my first trip to Lake Powell and my first round of golf (after which, he HIGHLY recommended that I take golf lessons). Even though I was kicking and screaming when we moved to Arizona, it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. I met my wonderful husband Brad and we have two awesome boys. Thank you Dad, for exposing me to many things only "boys" are supposed to do. I am proud to be your daughter and will miss and love you forever.

Love Always,
Jan

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