Stephen Ames Mitchell

"A second time we say good bye" condolences to his family. Kind regards Nicole Anne Mitchell.

Steve changed my life. It is because of him that I never fulfilled my teenage dream of becoming a theoretical physicist! In his undergraduate topology and geometry course (2001/2 I think it was) he tempted me over to pure mathematics and most everything else that has happened in my life since then came as a direct or indirect result. I came to love topology because of Steve, and this set me on the trajectory that took me to Oxford for my PhD a couple of years later, and that was where I...

Steve was a tremendous influence in my life, both in and out of mathematics. He was exactly the thesis advisor I needed: kind, funny, enthusiastic, down-to-earth, supportive... and he simply loved mathematics. The UW was lucky to count him among its ranks, and those of us whose lives he touched are luckier still. ...Rest well, dear friend, and thank you for everything.

Dear Wendy,

It was only today that we learned of Steve's passing, and we are shocked and saddened by this news. Please accept our deepest condolences to you and your extended family.
As your neighbors, we got to know Steve as a kind, good and considerate man, as someone who emphasized humor and empathy for others over his own considerable achievements in academia. He always had a special smile when he talked about his daughters.
May you, in time, find some consolation in Steve's...

I will always remember the wonderful parties at Steve and Wendy's lovely home.

Hi Wendy and Family,

To me, Steve was an inspiration, a true and real human being that made a difference in the lives he touched. He was engaging and interesting in the few conversations we had together. I remember when he started to show up at family gatherings, he was this groovy, hippie dude and we didn't know at the time what a mathematical genius he was. He talked about rock climbing and how that was significantly different from mountain climbing. As time went by and he became...