Burch Scott Mixon

1961 - 2023

Burch Scott Mixon
December 2, 1961 - February 24, 2023
Charlotte, North Carolina - Burch Scott Mixon died on Friday, February 24, 2023. He leaves behind a magnificent community of family and friends. He regarded that community as his life's work.
Burch was born in 1961 to the late Joyce Jones and Eldridge Mixon in Greenville, SC. He grew up in Charlotte, which he claimed as his home. It was in his childhood kitchen that he learned the Carolina shag from his mother, lighting in him a lifelong love of dancing. As a teenager, his warm spirit and ready smile earned him friends along his Beverly Drive paper route and at West Charlotte High School, where he graduated in 1980.
Burch completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina. He paid his way through Chapel Hill, waiting tables at Spanky's and Slug's during the academic year and at Larry's Calabash Seafood Barn in Myrtle Beach one summer. His studies enlivened his curiosity about everything beyond the Carolinas and moved him to backpack through Europe after graduation. He returned with a heightened sense of what was possible in life.
A job with First Union took Burch to Chicago shortly after graduation. He found much to love in Chicago, above all a young banker named Arrington Hearn. The two quickly became each other's closest friends. In 1991, Burch and Arrington married and returned to Charlotte. There they set about building a life. They joined Christ Episcopal Church, launched a Supper Club that still convenes to this day, and had two beautiful children.
The young family took brief leave of Charlotte when Arrington's career beckoned them to London. Burch made the most of their time overseas. London served as a launchpad for frequent family trips he planned across Europe, Africa, and Asia. The travel afforded Burch a chance to broaden his children's horizons as he had his own. In doing so, he taught them how to find joy in new experiences.
In London, Burch also found time to build upon his love of the outdoors with formal training at The English Gardening School. Visits to the many gardens of the United Kingdom charged him with an enthusiasm for elegant landscapes. When he returned to Charlotte with his family in 2005, he brought that enthusiasm home with a newly trained eye. He sketched, planted, grew, and tended to gardens across Charlotte, adding beauty to his city for the next two decades.
One of Burch's many gifts in the garden was his ability to realize the unique promise in each space, then create a design to bring its untapped potential to life. So too was his way with people. Burch met people where they were and saw in each person what others sometimes missed. Walking into the Mixon house made anyone feel at home. Burch enthusiastically welcomed friends and the friends of his children with a fabulous meal and a good bottle of red wine, often to the tune of an upbeat Motown playlist. His unmistakable laugh and genuine interest in people drew others in and kept the conversation flowing.
Burch also cultivated the Charlotte community. He served on the board of Wing Haven, a local garden and bird sanctuary. He also served on the board of Seigle Avenue Partners. Burch did much to steward that program as it grew into Freedom School Partners. Like the beloved Freedom School scholars' song, he firmly believed that every child has "Something Inside So Strong" that deserves to be nourished to its full and unique potential. He found a rich, spiritual home at Christ Episcopal Church. As a member and junior warden, he tended to both the grounds and spirit of the church. In turn, the church tended to him.
Burch communed with God outside, where he could feel the sunshine on his face or see the stars at night. Arrington in turn was the great love and light of his life, a partner in his every adventure. Burch was at his happiest on a North Carolina morning seated on his porch, coffee in hand, next to her. With great care, they raised a wonderful daughter and son into happy adulthood and tended to a marriage that bloomed with splendor.
Burch is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Arrington Hearn Mixon; his two children, Elise Mixon Lipsky and her husband, Theo and Burch Scott Mixon, Jr. and his wife, Kate. He is also survived by his two younger brothers, Brian Mixon and Brooks Mixon and their children, as well as his stepfather, Robert Jones.
A celebration of Burch's life will be held 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Christ Episcopal Church. Burch specifically requested that it be a true celebration, in which case the family suggests that guests feel free to wear color. The family will receive friends following the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, Burch asked that donations be sent to Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road, 28207 or Freedom School Partners, P.O. Box 37363, Charlotte, NC 28237.
Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.