Dr. Joseph R. Mitchell Jr.

1938 - 2021

Dr. Joseph R. Mitchell, Jr.
August 9, 1938 - August 7, 2021
Gulfport, Mississippi - To Live In The Hearts Of Others Is Never To Die.
Dr. Joseph Rudolph "Buddy" Mitchell, Jr. was born on August 9, 1938 in Tuskegee, AL and passed from this life on August 7, 2021, just two days away from his 83rd birthday at Canon Hospice in Gulfport, MS, with his family and friends at his side. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Emi Yamashiro, his father, Dr. Joseph R. Mitchell, Sr., his mother Vivian James Mitchell, and his sisters, Doris Mitchell-Oliveira, and Gwendolyn Mitchell-Jones. He is survived by his nephews, including Peter Byron, who cared for his uncle for the last decade or so of his life, Max Byron, Adam Worth, Joseph de Oliveira, and Cyn Yamashiro; he is also survived by his two nieces, Doe Yamashiro and Kyo Yamashiro, his sister-in-law, Deanna Yamashiro, his great-nieces and nephews (Lea, Noa, Emi, Sophia, Brian, Vivian, and Evelyn), and his dear friend Jude Wheeler and her husband Hank.
Dr. Mitchell graduated from Tuskegee Institute High School at sixteen and followed in his father's footsteps to Morehouse College, where he studied Biology and Chemistry. After graduation, he studied physics at the University of Chicago until he was admitted to medical school at Meharry Medical Hospital in Nashville, TN, where he specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) like his father before him. His medical rotation was interrupted by military service. He was Commander of the 523rd Field Hospital in Vietnam (1965-66) and was honorably discharged in 1967. He served at Fort Ord as a medical officer, and worked at the VA Hospital in Tuskegee (1968-71). He completed his medical residency at Kapiolani Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a fellowship in Los Angeles at USC-LAC Medical Center.
Dr. Mitchell met his future wife and partner in private practice during medical school, and in their decades of practice together they cared for women, delivered babies, and educated and advocated for women around the world. They developed pre-natal and reproductive support structures in places as far away as (what was known as) Zaire and Camaroon. The doctors chose in 1975 to establish their OB/GYN practice in Gulfport, MS, which at the time had the lowest per-capita rates of physicians in the U.S. They were both committed to serving where the need was greatest and treated all women who came to their offices, regardless of income. They were affiliated with Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, and he served as Chief of OB/GYN at Memorial from 1982-87. When his wife died in 1989, Dr. Mitchell did not want to practice without her. He returned to graduate school at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he received his Master's in Health Administration in 1992 and worked in health management until his retirement.
Dr. Mitchell also had a long history of volunteer service to the medical community, the state of Mississippi, and his local Gulfport community. He served as Coast Counties Medical Society Vice President and then President. He served on the Legislative Committee for the MS Medical Association, Joint Practices Committee for the MS Nurses Association, and the Ethics, Blood Utilization and Quality Assurance Committees at Memorial. He also provided medical services to Harrison County inmates as a volunteer. He so enjoyed volunteering at local schools for career day, but always insisted that career day include a more diverse set of careers beyond doctors and lawyers that included trade and service roles. He had a great respect and openness for people that he met.
Dr. Mitchell's friends and family remember him not just as an exceptional physician and well-read Renaissance man, but for his quick wit and mischievous sense of humor. He was generous with his time with friends, colleagues, and patients. He and his wife were world travelers, but often did not travel together because of their practice, but they still managed to have many adventures. They loved great food, were great cooks, and collected unique recipes from their world travels, but he always maintained a soft spot for the simple pleasures, like chocolate or chocolate peanut butter cups! He loved listening to and collecting books, albums, and ephemera about Delta Blues music. He had specific rules for how things should be done – an exact angle the blinds should be tilted and no phone cord ever left untangled -- but these rules were emblematic of his brilliance and his commitment to quality in everything that he did. He was beloved and will be greatly missed.