Earl Mitchell Obituary
Earl Vincent Mitchell
Redondo Beach - Earl Vincent Mitchell, 77 years old, of Redondo Beach, CA peacefully transitioned on October 22, 2025 succumbing to Lewy Body dementia. He was surrounded by his wife, Autumn "Ann" Mitchell and his sons, David and Dwight (Susana) Mitchell. Earl was born on April 28, 1948 in Alton, IL. He confessed Christ as his savior and was baptized at St James Baptist Church in Alton. He remained a faithful member until he moved out of the area. He was a graduate of Alton High School, where he played on the varsity basketball team and was a member of The Marching 100 as a saxophonist. He attended Southern Illinois University where he earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering. It was at SIU-E where he met Ann. Upon graduation, he worked for General Electric in the technical marketing training program.
Earl and Ann married and moved to Southern California where they raised their sons. Earl was an avid sportsman. He traveled the world for snow and water skiing. For some time, he was a member of the Black Skiers Association. In the summer he could be found participating in beach volleyball competitions. He especially loved playing basketball with his granddaughter, Sophia.
After retiring from the corporate world, Earl chose to work for a security company. He worked in the homes and events for some of Hollywood's notables; Elizabeth Taylor, Denzel Washington, Debbie Allen and others. Prior to his illness, he was proud to work for his son David who had started his own security firm when he retired from the police force. As Earl's illness progressed, he was still that very happy, smiling man to everyone who spent time with him.
Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Evans Mitchell Sr and Margaret A Mitchell and his brother, Dr Thomas Evans Mitchell Jr. Along with his immediate family, he is survived by his sisters, Jeannetta Mitchell and Bennetta (Anthony) Wagner , five nieces - Samantha, Michaela, Sierra, Tiffany and Kirstie; three nephews -Tony (Joann)Wagner II, Myles (Kourtney) Wagner, and Geoffrey Mitchell, all residing in California. He leaves behind special cousins, Ronald Mitchell of Hazel Crest, IL, and LaVonna Mitchell Duff of Harvey, Il. A few years ago, Earl took great joy in knowing he has additional family members in the Johnson family tree.
Earl had requested to have his ashes spread on one of his favorite mountains. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring. In honor of his life, in lieu of flowers, his family is asking that donations be made to your local Alzheimer's Foundation.
Published by The Telegraph on Nov. 12, 2025.