Albina Mitchell

"Albina Mitchell, 84, of Sealy, Texas, passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, surrounded by her family. Born on April 18, 1941, in Chappell Hill, Texas, Albina lived a life rooted in faith, family, and quiet strength.

She was the daughter of Antone and Janie Laskoskie, both of whom preceded her in death. During her childhood, the family lived in several nearby communities, including Hempstead, Brookshire, San Felipe, and the Peters Community, before eventually settling in Sealy, which would remain her home for the rest of her life. Growing up on a farm, Albina learned early the value of hard work, responsibility, and doing what needed to be done, though she never quite warmed up to her regular chores of sweeping and mopping.

Albina met her future husband, Harvell Lee Mitchell, thanks to her father, who met Harvell at a church picnic and brought him home to meet his daughter. Albina and Harvell were married on January 25, 1958, and shared more than 43 years of marriage before his passing on March 17, 2001.

A devoted Catholic, Albina's faith guided every part of her life. She rarely missed Saturday Rosary or Mass and remained deeply committed to her church community for as long as she was able. She attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School and Church in Sealy and later gave back by volunteering at the Catholic School and at the Good Samaritan Shop on Saturdays. She was also a proud member of the KJT and the Catholic Daughters.

Albina was first and foremost a mother and caregiver. She was primarily a stay-at-home mother, sewing clothes for her children and always finding a way to provide what was needed. Her daughters fondly remember how she saved throughout the year to ensure each child had a new Easter dress. In later years, she became the voluntary transportation coordinator for her grandchildren, driving them to and from school and countless extracurricular activities, never complaining, always showing up.

Throughout the years, Albina enjoyed taking tap dancing and clogging classes at Sealy Performing Arts, spending time with her grandchildren, and tending to her beloved white doves. She loved Good Friday fish fries, playing bingo at church on Friday nights, and volunteering there for many years, selling pastries and drinks alongside her dear friend, often with a daughter happily helping at her side. She also enjoyed listening to her police scanner and then sharing updates with friends, and perhaps most famously, guarding her antique glass cookie jar with the red metal lid, which no grandchild ever learned to open quietly enough.

Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve, the family gathered in her living room. As the family grew, the room seemed to shrink, but no matter how crowded it became, everyone fit. Those gatherings remain some of the most cherished memories her family carries forward.

Albina was strong-willed, independent, and steady. She put others before herself and lived her faith through action rather than words. She cherished being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and her legacy is carried on in each generation she nurtured.

She is survived by her children: Marie Page, Bea Waltrip and husband Wade, Donnie Mitchell, and Debbie Novosad and husband Jeff; her grandchildren: Jennifer Matura, Travis Novosad, Allen Page, Alyssa Odneal, Megan Waltrip, Sarah Chaney, and Hannah Waltrip; and her great-grandchildren: Alexis Novosad, Gage Woodruff, Jacob Novosad, Lucy Novosad, Emma Odneal, Ella Odneal, Liam Matura, Adalee Chaney, and Micah Chaney. She is also survived by her siblings, David Laskoskie and Barbara Ann McCain. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings Stella Laskoskie and Raymond Laskoskie.

On Christmas Day, as family gathered by her bedside, Albina waited until everyone she loved had arrived before quietly taking her final breath. She went home on Christmas, surrounded by the same love she gave so freely throughout her life.

Visitation will be held at Knesek Funeral Home in Sealy, Texas, on Friday, January 2, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the Rosary beginning at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Sealy on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by the funeral Mass at 12:00 p.m. Graveside services will follow at the Catholic Cemetery in Sealy, with a reception afterward at the Sealy Columbus Hall."