James C. Mitchell

ARLINGTON -- James "Jim" Carroll Mitchell passed away Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Mansfield at the age of 77. Mr. Mitchell was a retired businessman and farmer who resided in the community of Webb in south Arlington.

Service: 2 p.m. Friday at Webb Baptist Church of Arlington. Interment: Moore Memorial Gardens. Visitation: The family will receive guests 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Moore Funeral Home.

Memorials: Should friends desire, contributions may be made to the Fort Worth American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org or 817-737-9990.

Mr. Mitchell was born on a farm in the Florence Hill community in southwestern Dallas County on Jan. 2, 1936. As a farmer, Mr. Mitchell raised cotton, grain sorghum, wheat, oats, hay, cattle and horses until 1981 in southern Tarrant and Dallas counties with his father, H.C. "Dude" Mitchell, and brother, A.H. "Sonny" Mitchell, both of whom preceded him in death. The three men also founded a family-owned propane business in the winter of 1969, which they managed, built into a very successful operation and sold in March 2000.

A veteran of the United States Army from 1954 to 1957, Mr. Mitchell was assigned to the 714th Transportation Battalion where he served as a railroad engineer at Fort Eustis, Va.

He was a member of Webb Baptist Church of Arlington, the Webb Volunteer Fire Department, the Webb Community Center and the Webb Masonic Lodge. He had many hobbies and interests, including horses, square-dancing, antique farm tractors, fishing, camping, cooking, parakeets, rabbits, model airplanes, whitewater canoeing, gardening and local politics.

He was preceded in death by his first wife and the mother of his four children, Martha Jane Mitchell.

Survivors: His wife of 31 years, Betty Mitchell; his children, Jana Compton of Waxahachie, married to Brett Compton, Nelora "Lori" Bedford-Headley of Granbury, married to Mark Headley, James "Rusty" Mitchell of Arlington and Lawrence "Larry" Mitchell of Ashburn, Va.; and stepchildren, Donald Robinson of Arlington, married to Diane Robinson, Kim Hays of Arlington, married to Matt Hays, and Jeff Robinson of Bryan, married to Karen Robinson. Mr. Mitchell's family also includes 13 grandchildren and stepgrandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren.