Warren Woodbury Mitchell

KENNEBUNK - Warren Woodbury Mitchell, 92, died surrounded by loving family on Feb. 21, 2019 in Kennebunk, of advanced age and the ravages of dementia. He was born on Aug. 23, 1926 in Peking, China, the son of Myron Atwood Mitchell and Florence Colby Mitchell, while his father was working for Standard Oil Company of New York in China.When he was 12 years old, Warren and his mother were repatriated to the United States with other dependents of foreign workers due to the threat of the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father continued to work in China, and after the outbreak of World War II, he was taken into custody by Japanese officials in Manila, Philippines and interned at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila for two years.Having begun his education at the Shanghai American School in Tientsin, China, Warren attended The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J. Upon graduation from Lawrenceville, N.J. he enrolled at Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a naval commission in 1947.He was hired by the Engineering Department of Standard Oil Company of California (now Chevron Corporation) in 1947. Over a four-decade career there (except for a three-year hiatus while on loan to Aramco Overseas Company in The Hague, The Netherlands), he performed and supervised designs of petroleum industry facilities and managed projects, mostly related to civil engineering. He retired as senior supervising engineer.A Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society conferee, Warren held Professional Engineer licenses in Texas, Hawaii, New Jersey, and the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. He was a Registered Civil Engineer in California and Louisiana, and a Registered Structural Engineer in California. A Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, and a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, he chaired the American Petroleum Institute Work Group on Earthquake Criteria for Fixed Offshore Production Platforms. Warren purchased a cottage on aptly-named Pleasant Pond in Caratunk, following his retirement. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time at "P Pond" with friends and family. In 2007, he and wife Joanne purchased a home in The Villages in Florida, learned to play golf, and made new and lasting friends.He was predeceased by his first wife, Lorraine Anderson Mitchell. Warren is survived by his wife Joanne Bayreuther Mitchell of Kennebunk; daughter Joyce Mitchell Satzer (husband William) of Eagan, Minn,, stepchildren William A. Bayreuther, III (wife Gari), Todd P. Bayreuther, Anne Bayreuther Schaub (husband Mark), and John M. Bayreuther (wife Jessica); grandsons Michael Satzer, MD and David Satzer, MD; step grandchildren Russell Bayreuther, Addie Bayreuther, Luke Sweeney, Aron Bayreuther, Mark Schaub, John Schaub, Bennett Schaub, William Schaub, Gavin Bayreuther, Morgan Bayreuther, Beckham Bayreuther, and Jackman Bayreuther; and step great-grandchildren Noah Logan, Olivia Bayreuther, Finn Sweeney, and Julie Schaub.His family, who treasure the fact that this gentle and generous man enriched their lives, will hold a memorial service for Warren at The Forks West Forks Congregational Church, UCC in West Forks at a date yet to be determined.Arrangements by Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Warren's memory to the:Pleasant PondProtective AssociationP.O. Box 36Caratunk, ME 04925