Dr. Earl Dean Mitchell

1939 - 2019

Dr. Earl Dean Mitchell

Sept. 27, 1939 - June 16, 2019

BEACH GROVE, IN - Earl was a graduate of Mishawaka High School Class of 1957. He never lost his affectionate links with MHS, and was an active participant - sometimes the Master of Ceremonies - for numerous class reunions, particularly after his retirement. He remained in contact with many classmates for 70+ years, with unfailing kindness toward all.

An Air Force Veteran, he served in Europe and Turkey, where he was a theater manager and troop entertainment specialist.

He studied at Indiana University and at Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. His career was devoted to the travel and entertainment industries, in which he achieved listing in “Who's Who in America” for his prominence and accomplishments. He aided many people with his skills in applied psychology.

Earl was an accomplished vocalist and public speaker, skills discovered in drama club activities at MHS, then honed throughout his life on stage and in the media. He mentored young musicians and performers throughout his career. A world traveler, he lived for long periods in Australia, Hawaii, and California before retiring back in Mishawaka where he was a regular volunteer at the Senior Center.

His late father was a survivor of the tragic sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945, and Earl was active in the Indianapolis Survivors Association which perpetuates honor to those lost and saved in the disaster. Earl participated in the 1995 dedication of the National monument to the ship, in Indianapolis. A touching 1946 letter written by his father describing the impact of his survival among the 800 who died was published in Tom Brokaw's book “The Greatest Generation” in 2001.

After suffering a stroke in 2010, Earl lived at Crown Senior Living in Indianapolis, a phase of his life which he described as “delightful” due to his new friends and warm experiences there.

He is buried with his father Kenneth and mother Mabel in Southlawn Cemetery in South Bend. Donations in his memory are suggested to the Mishawaka High School Alumni Association, mhs-alumni@mishawaka.k12.in.us.