PITTSFIELD – London Joseph Mitchell, 78, died Aug. 12, 2007, at a Bangor hospital, after a brief illness. London Mitchell was born March 5, 1929, in the small Gulf Coast village of Youngsville, near Abbeville, La., to Ovey and Agnes Monette Mitchell. He was the first of their four children. He grew up in the heart of Southwest Louisiana’s large francophone Creole community and from an early age worked on his family’s large farm, helping to grow sugarcane and rice for market. When he was eight years old, he got his first job sweeping floors at Abbeville’s Frank’s Theatre. As a boy, he played baseball every chance he could get and liked to earn a few extra pennies carrying musicians’ instruments to the parish hall for concerts and gatherings. He attended local Catholic schools, where he learned English and graduated from the public high school in Abbeville, La. In 1946, London Mitchell persuaded his parents to allow him to enlist in the Army at the age of 17. After basic training, he embarked upon a military career in the Army Air Corps and later, the Air Force. During his time in the military, London Mitchell achieved the rank of technical sergeant and specialized in firefighting and crash rescue. After 20 years in the Air Force, he retired from active duty and worked as an Alaska State Trooper. He served a further 10 years in the Air Force Reserves in Alaska and Colorado. In 1977, London Mitchell moved to Maine with his wife and two young daughters. He drove a school bus for MSAD 53, and later went to work at Irving Tanning Co., Hartland, where he earned a boiler engineer’s license. Always eager to learn new skills, he completed many courses at Kennebec Valley Technical College. After nine years at the tannery, he took a job at Bath Iron Works as a pipefitter. He remained at Bath Iron Works until his retirement in 1999. In his free time, he loved to read and collect books. He was a union man, and passionate about history and social justice. He enjoyed fishing and the music of his culture, and spent many Sundays making gumbo and growing vegetables in his garden. London Mitchell leaves behind his wife of 37 years, Margaret Leverett Mitchell; their two daughters, Mary Mitchell and Jennifer Mitchell Gerber; London Mitchell Jr., his son from his previous marriage; his sister, Rose Mitchell Gueringer of Abbeville, La.; and his brother, Joseph Mitchell of Killeen, Texas. His brother Abraham Mitchell of Louisiana predeceased him, having died in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina. London Mitchell also leaves behind many relatives and friends. Memorial arrangements will be private. A portion of his ashes will be scattered in Africa, in the places he enjoyed reading about and always longed to see. Arrangements are entrusted to Shorey-Nichols Funeral Home, 191 Hartland Ave., Pittsfield.
LONDON JOSEPH MITCHELL
