Wayne Gerald Mitchell

Wayne Gerald Mitchell was born on April 11, 1952, to Lorna Olive (Burrows) and Darrel Dean Mitchell, at the Naval Hospital in Trinidad, British West Indies. Darrel was then stationed in Jacksonville, Florida when Wayne was 3 years old. He graduated from Lee High School before attending college, and, other than a brief period when he attended Florida State University, he made Jacksonville his home.

One of 5 children, Wayne valued family and appreciated the time he had with them. He met the love of his life, Karen, in 1975, when they were set up by friends each worked with. The rest, as they say, is a history full of love, faith, and family. Wayne worked in the automotive industry most of his adult life, primarily as a service writer, but his passions were being a great father and husband, serving in his church, and mentoring youth. In addition to serving as a Sunday School teacher for many years, he briefly taught at St. Matthews and coached basketball, baseball, and softball. He was also a Big Brother. For the past 8 years, though, his favorite mentoring was being “Pa” to his grandson Brayden. They loved hanging out together, watching Hallmark movies, building Legos, and cheering for the Florida State Seminoles.

Wayne’s love for his family and his faith guided his life. He passed away peacefully surrounded by family on December 23, 2024, and will be sorely missed by his wife, Karen, daughters Tara Mitchell and Nicole Alexander (Nathan), and grandson, Brayden Alexander, as well as his siblings Kerrie Bradley (James), Hugh “Mike” (Judy), Felix (Valerie) and Kent, as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

The family will have a visitation at Oaklawn Chapel, 4801 San Jose Blvd., on January 3, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held January 4, 2025, at Oaklawn Chapel at 11:00 a.m., followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hadlow Hospice Center.