He was born in Bristow Oklahoma, where his grandparents lived. He was raised in Firebaugh California where his family farmed and managed a feedlot. He was on horseback from a very early age and drove anything with an engine and wheels. He loved cars and most anything else mechanical. He also admired horses and studied their blood lines and knew the lineage of most of the race horses.
He attended the elementary Catholic School in Firebaugh, California. Junior High and High School in Dos Palos, California. He played football in High School which earned him a scholarship to Cal Berkeley, his love of football continued throughout his life.
He was drafted into military service and did 2 tours in Vietnam. On his last tour of duty his helicopter was shot down, and he suffered serious injuries. He spent the better part of a year building strength back at the San Diego VA hospital. Mitch’s determination paid off, after a stint on canes he regained full mobility.
He continued his education after finishing his military service and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from USC. Mitch was a lifelong USC Trojans fan.
He loved working on big projects for well known companies such Chevron, Lougheed, FMC, Texas Gulf, Lawrence Livermore Labs, HP, and Arco. These project manager positions allowed him to travel extensively and he was always looking for the next adventure.
The last corporate job was with Interlink which was a start up company from Santa Barbara which took him to Europe to set up the European operations as CEO. But ever the entrepreneur/engineer after retirement Mitch continued to innovate and build business’.
He was a wonderful story teller talking about his experiences and travels and his memory was amazing.
Mitch and Sheila married November 27 1981. Sheila had 2 daughters from a previous marriage. He was a loving stepfather to the girls and felt so blessed to be “Grampy” to 5 grandchildren. That was his favorite role.
After many years of living around the globe, in 2003 Mitch and Sheila moved to Big Springs and bought a farmhouse with a small acreage. Mitch got back to his root of farm life, he couldn’t have been happier. Farm machinery and being outdoors and showing the grandchildren how to drive equipment, shoot targets and share his love of rural life.
He is survived by his wife Sheila, 2 daughters Lee-An and her husband Greg Fair. Their 3 children, Connor, Peyton and Ranger. Sandi and her husband Simon Puddefoot and 2 boys Josh and Morgan.
Arrangements will be made at Fort McPherson for interment with full military honors, the date and time to be decided when gatherings are permitted, with a celebration of life at the same time.
The family requests any memorials be directed to St. Lukes Catholic School in Ogallala NE.
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