POLLYANNE MITCHELL

MITCHELL POLLYANNE BRYANT MITCHELL (Age 85) Of McLean, VA died peacefully on December 19, 2017 surrounded by her children. Born March 5, 1932 in Chicago, IL, to the late Edwin Harrison Bryant and Marjorie Snider Peacock (Bryant), Polly spent her early years in Evanston, Illinois where she learned the importance of kindness, gentleness, reading (particularly history), story telling, and a love for animals from her adoring father. Her mother, affectionately referred to as "Nini", instilled in her the values of discipline, faith, and for taking on difficult challenges. Her mother also developed in her a love for both music and cooking, which she cultivated in her own children. Pollyanne was an alumna of the Roycemore School of Evanston, IL, Tenacre and Dana Hall Schools of Wellesley, MA and Wellesley College, from which she graduated with a B.A. in French in 1953. She also studied in France at the Universities of Grenoble and Paris. After graduating from college, Polly worked in New York City as a fashion assistant for Vogue under Baron Nicolas de Gunzberg and as a model for Garfinckel's. It was at a wedding in Lancaster, PA that Pollyanne met John Murray Mitchell, Jr. (Mitch) of Tuxedo Park, NY. Polly often remarked that Mitch, a student at MIT in Cambridge, MA at the time, appealed to her as a tall, handsome, funny, gentle and kind person who was also a brilliant scientist. Mitch would later become a leading government climatologist at the forefront of climate change research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before succumbing to cancer in 1990. To Mitch, Polly was the "sunshine in his life". The two were married on May 5, 1956 in the chapel of St. Bartholomew's Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City. Pollyanne was a member of the Sulgrave Club of Washington, DC and the Junior Leagues of New York City and Washington, DC serving as president of the latter from 1970-1972. She was a member of the Washington National Cathedral's All Hallows Guild, where she worked tirelessly on the AHG Calendar for more than 10 years, co-chaired the Flower Mart in 1983 and served as President in 1990. She was especially fond of the Bishop's Garden where she served as a tour guide. Polly was an active community volunteer and parishioner of St. John's Episcopal Church in McLean, VA where she sang in the choir, lay read, and served on the vestry. She also enjoyed attending the symphony and opera. As an avid gardener, her home was resplendent with flowering azaleas, roses, rhododendron, peonies, hydrangea, begonias, and lily of the valley. A dedicated, loyal, and caring mother to her children, "Mimi" was especially proud of her five grandchildren whom she adored and were the lights of her life, and within whom she instilled the values of hard work, love of life, and the importance of family traditions. Beloved wife of the late John Murray Mitchell, Jr., she is survived by her children, John Murray Mitchell, III of Charlottesville, VA, Brian Harrison Mitchell (Karin Christ) of Lebanon, PA, Katherine Mitchell Abib (Osmar) of McLean, VA and Anne Mitchell Elmore (Stancliff Churchill) of Washington, DC; her sister, Martha Nan Bryant Grayston (Dr. Thomas Grayston) of Seattle, WA; and her grandchildren, Nicole Lanier Abib, John Harrison Mitchell, Benjamin James Mitchell, Stancliff Churchill Elmore, III and Lillian Talmage Elmore. A memorial service will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 6715 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101 on Saturday, December 30 at 11 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church or to All Hallows Guild, Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church or to All Hallows Guild, Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016.