A Life Well Lived
David Henry Mitchell was born the 5th of 9 children on November 15th, 1949, in Wellsville, New York, to father Henry William Mitchell and mother Ida May (Quant).
David is preceded in death by his parents and his sisters, Barbara (Donald) Benjamin, Sandra (Lloyd) Hotchkiss, Joyce (Larry) Watson, Doris Doty. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Nancy Mitchell; daughter Melanie Mitchell, son Todd Payne, brothers Paul (Peg) Mitchell, Daniel Mitchell, Phillip (Deb) Mitchell; sister Karole (Roger) Baker; and grandchildren, Kristie and Kayla Mitchell, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
He passed away at 73 years young on Tuesday, March 7th, 2023 after a hard fought battle with cancer. David grew up in Belmont, NY, until he joined the United States Marine Corps. After being honorably discharged from the Marines he moved to Florida where he met the love of his life at a Whataburger in Largo FL. David loved his family and the Lord. He lived a life of service to this country and his family. He retired from the US postal service and was a Vietnam Veteran. Semper Fidelis is the Marine Corps motto, it means Steadfast Loyalty, he embodied this in his devotion to his Lord, his wife, and his family.
He was a serious Gator Fan (even in the bad years). He lived life in the fast lane.. literally, the man loved a good, fast car. He was never much of rule follower, just for the sake of following rules, he just always did what he felt was right.
He had strong capable hands and even after the RA twisted them, he still gave the best hugs. He had of habit of whistling, humming, or singing gospel songs when he was in pain, one of his favorite songs was “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” He had a beautiful singing voice.
David’s blessings over dinner were beautiful. His faith was such a fundamental part of him that it sounded as if he were talking to an old friend when his rich baritone rolled out the words of grace. Grace was an integral part of who David was; if anyone could find a silver lining in a bad situation, it was him. He was always looking for the best in people, and because of that he would bring out the best in the people around him.
David’s laugh is what everyone brings up when remembering him. His laugh was tremendous and infectious; you couldn’t help but laugh along with him. He loved that too.
We are planning his celebration of life to be held in June and will update this page when we have the specific date and place.
