David "Ted" Theodore Mitchell

What an amazing sight it must have been when Ted was escorted into heaven on the afternoon of Monday, April 28th, to meet face to face his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (with whom he was well acquainted). Born on December 13, 1940, in Dallas, Texas to the late Mural and Thomas Mitchell, his formal name was David Theodore, but most people affectionately knew him as “Ted”.

Ted is survived by Nita, his beloved wife of 60 years (whom he had married in August 1965), along with his children, daughter Kellie (Bob) Carangi and son Todd (Linda) Mitchell. He will forever be in the hearts of his grandchildren, Ashley (Sam) Romero, Luke (Dasha) Mitchell and Ciara Carangi, as well as his three great-grandchildren Alaia, Colt and Emerson. His memory will be cherished by his siblings and their families: Tommy Mitchell, Ray Mitchell and Natalie (Bob) Holmes.

A United States veteran, Ted served four years in the U.S. Navy, many of those aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Lynde McCormick. During his military years, he excelled in electronics, working with powerful and state of the art radar. With his Navy days behind him, Ted went on to college, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from California State University, Northridge, and later, a master’s degree in banking from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He enjoyed a successful thirty- three year career in bank management, rising to the level of Senior Vice President with Security Pacific Bank and later Bank of America. Within banking, he was in charge of “special assets” and always worked with the mantra that “every problem has a solution”.

Through the years, Ted was always committed to the service of Christ. He taught Sunday school to junior high boys, served on many church boards in various roles, shared the gospel through Evangelism Explosion (a ministry he headed up), volunteered with young adult ministries and led a discussion group for Bible Study Fellowship.

He was a deep thinker, an avid reader, lover of poetry and sometimes a prankster. A person who was well read, he always came back to the Bible, when asked what his favorite book was. Ted quoted John 3:16 as his “go to” verse because it summed up the gospel.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16

Ted also loved Titus 2:7, which reads “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.”

For all of those that had the privilege of knowing him, Ted was known as a person of unwavering faith. He was a prayer warrior, he was generous, and he was committed to spreading love and kindness to all he encountered. In short, he was pleasant to be around, good-natured and always had a joke on the ready, no matter the circumstance.

He will be dearly missed, but we know that all who have believed and received Jesus as their Savior will see Ted again.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

1.) Hume Lake Christian Camp http://hume.org

2.) Bible Study Fellowship, International https://www.bsfinternational.org/support

3.) Teen Challenge http://teenchallenge.org

A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at: Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home - 836 E. Nees Ave., Fresno, CA 93720.

A Military Graveside Service will take place on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 9:00 AM at: Belmont Memorial Park - 201 N Teilman Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.

Immediately following the graveside service, a Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM at: Peoples Church - 7172 N Cedar Ave, Fresno, CA 93720.

*Followed by a reception lunch at People’s Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the Mitchell family.