Horace Alexander Mitchell

Known to his friends as “Mitch,” he moved with his family to Lubbock in 1973 from Littlefield, Texas, where he owned Mitchell Ford and was active in the First Presbyterian Church and Littlefield Lions Club. In Lubbock, he became one of the first investors to recognize the potential for revitalizing downtown when he bought the Sweetbriar Building at Broadway and Avenue J in 1978 and converted the long empty building into offices for his law firm and other tenants.

Horace A. Mitchell was born in Manor, Texas, to the Rev. Thomas M. Mitchell, a Methodist minister, and Nora Head Mitchell. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1954 and from SMU Law School in 1958. At SMU, he met his future wife, Suzy Diane Hall. They were married 55 years, until her death in 2011. Together, they raised two daughters and in retirement, traveled the world, walking on all seven continents.

He delighted in spending time with family and friends and was always quick with a joke or an encouraging word. Though he lost most of his vision in 1997 and became completely blind in the last years of his life, he never let diminishing eyesight slow him down. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Lubbock and attended Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. He served in the U.S. Air Force (1955-1957) and was an active supporter of his beloved SMU.

He is survived by his daughters, Debbie Mitchell Price (Larry) and Janet Kay Wear (Charlie); grandsons, David Lukens III and Thomas M. Lukens and wife Alaina; granddaughter, Amanda C. Price; and nieces, Martine Presley, Danielle Moritz, and Nicole McVay.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, in the Abbey Chapel at Resthaven Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Lubbock.

The family suggests contributions to a charity of the donor’s choice.

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