Col. Newell D. Mitchell

1924 - 2015

Col. Newell D. (Mitch) Mitchell Mitch Mitchell left us peacefully Friday morning November 27th, 2015, at age 91. He was born on January 18th, 1924 in Seattle, Washington and subsequently grew up in Oakland, California. He enlisted in the Air Corp while at U. of California in 1942. He married Dolores Irene Robarts in 1946, now deceased. He had a distinguished 33 year career in the US Air Force and is a veteran of World War II, Korea and the Vietnam wars. He is a highly decorated combat pilot with the Silver Star, two Legion of Merits, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, seventeen Air Medals, the Korean Medal with two bronze stars, and the Vietnam medal with three bronze stars among the thirteen categories of combat medals received. He flew the RF-4C Phantom during the Tan Son Nhut invasion. He was a Conventional and Jet Instrument Instructor at the Air University; and his career also found him on teams overseeing the building of the "dew line" radar sites across Canada and Alaska; teaching at the newly forming Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs; in Plans, Policy and Operations as Deputy Chief of the Pacific/Southeast Asia Branch for Plans at the Pentagon; and as Defense/Air Attach‚ to the Ambassador of the US in Caracas, Venezuela under the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was responsible for the air needs of the Embassies of Columbia, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Chile and Ecuador. He flew throughout his entire career and ended with over 12,000 flying hours. Throughout his life he has insisted that the heroes were those who did not come home. Following retirement Mitch specialized in golf and tennis, and flew for the Coastal Plains Commuter of HHI, a charter and feeder airline for carriers in the Southeastern region of the US. For 26 years he was a volunteer umpire at the Family Circle Tennis Tournaments, then worked for the USTA for twelve years umpiring and chairing matches regionally and nationally, which included the US Open twelve times. He was a volunteer marshal at the PGA HHI Heritage Golf Tournaments for 31 years. He had been serving as Chairman of the national organization of Pilots of WWII. Mitch led a purposeful, helpful and long life, and his humor and gentle spirit will be greatly missed. Mitch is survived by the following and their families: his wife Catherine Luchino-Mitchell of Hilton Head Island, SC and her daughter Francie M. Miller and three grandsons of Boise, Idaho; his son Jeffrey G. Mitchell of Jacksonville, Florida; his son William R. Mitchell and wife Melody R. Mitchell, and grand-daughter Jordan Mitchell all of Ponte Vedra, Florida; his sister-in-law Shirley Stuart of West Palm Beach, Florida, and seven nieces and nephews. The family suggests donations to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, or the charity of your choice. Visitation to be at The Island Funeral Home & Crematory, 3:00pm, Wednesday December 2nd. Honor Guard & Final Placement at Six Oaks Cemetery, Sea Pines, 3:00pm, Friday, December 4th. Hearty Celebration of Life to follow at Sea Pines Country Club, Sea Pines, HHI, 4:00 pm Arrangements by The Island Funeral Home & Crematory; www.theislandfuneralhome.com