John C Mitchell

Beloved husband and father, 12-year Brewster Selectman

SANDWICH, MA – John Charles Mitchell, 81, of Brewster, died peacefully on Saturday, August 14 at the McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich, surrounded by his family, after a long struggle with heart disease.

Born September 27, 1928 in Manhattan, NY, he was the only child of the late Suzanne (Caron) and Charles Stamm, and later took his stepfather Jack Mitchell’s name. He graduated from Bayside High School in 1946, then attended and graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, where he was a 4-year letterman on the Ohio Conference Champion swimming team and a Beta Theta Pi fraternity member. Another fond memory of college was acting in the play “Taming of the Shrew” with fellow Kenyon classmate and future legend Paul Newman. He was also a member of the 4-man Intercollegiate Debating team (again with “Newman”), where he gained outstanding rhetorical skills that would prove valuable later in his professional and political life, as well as in the occasional spirited debate at home over clothing purchases with his daughter, car use with his son or home decorating with his wife.

Mr. Mitchell was a member of the U.S. Army 47th Infantry Division during the Korean War and received an honorable discharge. He began a career at McGraw-Hill Publishing Company in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952 and fell in love with and married Joan Patrick (of Cleveland) in July of 1955. Their son Paul was born in 1957, and daughter Suzanne in 1964. The family moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1965 and then Stamford, Connecticut in 1970, where Mr. Mitchell continued with McGraw-Hill in sales and management positions in the Detroit and New York City offices.

In 1980, Mr. Mitchell represented McGraw-Hill as part of the historic first U.S. trade delegation ever to be allowed into China; an experience that stood out among his many business trips over the years that also included the USSR, Japan, Turkey, Pakistan, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Scandinavia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

In 1981, Mr. Mitchell, his wife and daughter embarked on the greatest adventure of all when McGraw-Hill promoted Mr. Mitchell to a position as Publisher of International Management, a magazine with headquarters in Maidenhead, England. The family resided in Hampstead, London and embraced their new home wholeheartedly, becoming instant Anglophiles. They spent countless evenings enjoying London theatre, restaurants and pubs, and played tour guide to many family members and friends who traveled to see them over the years, happily visiting and re-visiting museums and historical sites, as well as venturing out to explore other parts of the UK and countries abroad. When transferred back to the New York area in 1985, Mr. Mitchell and his wife decided they were not ready to give up their English adventure, so within a few months Mr. Mitchell retired from McGraw-Hill and joined a friend in another business venture in order to return to Hampstead. Many of the moving boxes had not even been unpacked, so returning to the UK was an easier task the second time around.

Finally, in 1989, John and Joan moved back to the states and settled on Cape Cod, where they had years before spent happy summer vacations. They found a house in Brewster which has been home for 21 years. Mr. Mitchell suffered a serious heart attack in July of 1989 but it did not deter him from living a full life. He made serious and committed changes to his diet and exercise regime. He rarely missed a daily trek to a gym in Eastham where he would swim 200 or 300 laps in a session. His hard work and determination to live a healthy life allowed him to watch his grandson, Alex Mitchell, who was born in August 1989, grow up and turn 21 earlier this month. He taught Alex (who grew up in Yankee country) to become a devoted Red Sox fan and they attended several seasons of spring training and many Fenway games together, including the famous “Mother’s Day Miracle” game. Notably, the Red sox never lost when this grandfather and grandson were in attendance.

Many Brewster residents and those involved in politics in Boston and Massachusetts in general know Mr. Mitchell best for his 4 full and busy terms as a Brewster selectman (4 of those years as Chairman) beginning in 1992, during which time he served as president of the Barnstable County Selectmen and Counselor’s Association, a director of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, the Cape and Islands representative on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and was appointed six times by three Governors to their Local Government Advisory Commissions, a bipartisan effort to ensure the Commonwealth and towns work together for everyone’s benefit. Mr. Mitchell also invested a great deal of time in local causes in which he had a special personal interest. They included planning Brewster’s bicentennial celebration, serving on the Brewster Ladies’ Library Endowment committee and working to save and restore an important Brewster landmark, the Crosby Mansion. After retiring from his selectman duties, Mr. Mitchell spent several years as a volunteer driver for the Council on Aging, taking people to local medical appointments as well as up to Boston Hospitals. Mr. Mitchell was also a staunch supporter of the Brewster White Caps and attended many a game, including a couple of season openers where he was invited to throw out the first pitch.

In recent years, with growing challenges to his health, Mr. Mitchell focused on family and helping them in invaluable ways. He embarked on a short but full trip to several colleges with grandson Alex and helped him choose one he loves (University of Michigan). He helped his daughter Suzanne find a permanent home in Plymouth and negotiate all the steps to becoming a homeowner. And he continued in many other ways his lifelong role as loving, wise, funny, thoughtful, sharp-minded father, husband, confidante, advisor, planner and guide to his family and friends. We enjoyed movie nights at home, Red Sox games, and lots and lots of laughs. Just before going into the hospital in July, he and his wife Joan proudly commemorated their 55th wedding anniversary. We fervently wished for more years with him, but could not be more grateful for the full and happy ones we had together. We will love and miss him forever.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, August 20 from 4 to 7:30pm at Doane, Beal & Ames Funeral Home, 729 Route 134 in S. Dennis. A graveside gathering will take place on Saturday, August 21 at the Brewster Memorial Cemetery (next to the police station at 631 Harwich Rd), followed by a lunch and reminiscences at the Brewster Council on Aging, 1673 Main St. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Brewster Council on Aging.

ane Beal & Ames, South Dennis, MA.