Gladys E. Mitchell

Gladys Estela Mitchell was born on February 13, 1924 in La Higuera, Chile, a small town 60 kms north along the Pacific coast from La Serena and 500 kms north of Santiago. Her mother, Abelina Valencia, was a local woman of La Higuera and her father, David Haffner, was an American working for Bethlehem Steel at the El Tofo iron ore mine nearby. In 1929, David Haffner returned to the United States with his new bride and young girl, eventually settling on some land in Paramount, California. The Haffner family was from Enid, Oklahoma but many of the siblings had migrated west, so David, Abelina and Gladys were surrounded by many family members who welcomed them home to America. They were soon joined by another daughter, Katherine.

Gladys attended Compton Junior College before transferring to La Sierra College in Riverside. It is here that she met the love of her life, Robert Mitchell, an aspiring pre-medical student there. They both moved on to Loma Linda where Gladys studied dietetics while Robert was in medical school. They married on April 26, 1945 in Lynwood, CA and moved into an apartment on Boyle Street in Los Angeles near the While Memorial Hospital where they continued their studies. In 1946, Robert was accepted for an internship in Seattle, so they relocated to a home on Lake Washington near Kirkland. In 1948 they returned to Southern California for his residency at the Veteran’s Hospital in Van Nuys.

In February of 1950, their first child, Anita, was born. In 1951, Robert was called up for duty as the Korean War was ramping up. Their second child, Robert, was born in February of 1953 and two days later Robert shipped out to Korea. Six months into his assignment, Anita became very ill so he was given leave to return to the states to be with her. Unfortunately, she passed away in the night following his arrival.

Robert finished out his obligation to the Army stateside, and in 1954 he was recruited to Loma Linda where he was one of only a handful of physicians practicing there in an effort to build a permanent medical facility. Gladys, Robert and their young son moved to Loma Linda, settling in to an apartment on Rosarita Drive. Within a couple of years they found a nice lot on Tulip Avenue and built a home there, moving in just before their second son, Richard, was born in September, 1956.

As her husband became busier and busier at work, Gladys was the one that ruled the home, raising her boys, which increased by one with the birth of Ron in 1960. Gladys was a consummate homemaker, mother, tutor, mentor, taskmaster, entertainer – she did it all graciously with class and a style becoming of a doctor’s wife in a medical community. She married a man that was married to medicine, so her entire focus was to make sure her boys lived up to what was expected of them academically, socially and spiritually. Robert worked long, hard days providing for his family, but Gladys did the heavy lifting at home.

No one would question that her goals were achieved. Their oldest, Robert, became an orthodontist, having just retired to Reno, Nevada after a long, successful practice in Murrieta, California. Richard studied medicine and became a radiologist and continues to practice today in Arizona. Ron recently retired from a career in investments and banking, now living in Temecula, California.

Gladys’ husband passed away just shy of his 100th birthday on March 20 of this year, She continued to live in their home on Almond Court in Loma Linda. Her health was good, but her bones were very brittle. She fell on December 15th and broke multiple bones – both knees, a femur, tibia and an elbow. After a few days in hospital, she was brought home under hospice care on the evening of December 19. Gladys Estela Mitchell passed away peacefully on the morning of December 20, 2023, at her home lying in a bed in the bay window of her bedroom, in the same location were her husband had passed exactly 9 month prior.

Gladys had a long, full life. Married to the same man for nearly 78 years and having raised 3 boys successfully. They traveled all over the world and saw many places, things and cultures – some before most would imagine going there. They travelled for pleasure but also as medical evangelists, often with the Loma Linda University Councilors, to share their training with others to improve lives abroad.

Gladys is survived by her three sons – Bob (Carolyn), Rick (Jeanne) and Ron (Cathy), four grandchildren – John (Sara), Jane (Andrew), Grayson (Jessi) and Stephanie (Jake), and three great-grandchildren – Riley, Nora and Maya. She is also survived by her sister, Katherine Davis, and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation for family and friends of Gladys will be held Friday, January 26, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Montecito Cypress Chapel at 24145 Barton Road in Loma Linda, followed immediately by interment next to her husband at Montecito Memorial Park adjacent to the chapel.