Dorothy S. Mitchell

a long battle with ovarian cancer on Monday, July 3, 2017, in her

apartment at Westminster Canterbury On The Bay in Virginia Beach.

She was born March 2, 1930 in Durham, NC to Oliver “Clem” and

Thelma Weeks Snipes. She graduated from Durham High School in

1948 and married the love of her life, Lester “Mitch" Mitchell on August 20,

1949. She faithfully followed Mitch during his military career from

Durham to Greenville, SC to Charleston, SC to Charlotte, NC and

accompanied him for his final transfer to Virginia Beach.

Before beginning military transfers, Lea worked in the registrars office

at Duke University. Lea raised their two children, Leslie and Daryl,

during Mitch’s long naval deployments and after their high school

graduations returned to work in the payroll department of Virginia

Beach General Hospital. After retirement, she and Mitch moved to

Florida where they lived for 16 years in Ellenton and travelled across

America in their various RVs. They were able to visit all 50 states in

their lifetimes. In their later years they returned to NC to be near their

daughter. Following Mitch’s death, Lea returned to Virginia Beach to be near her son and

daughter-in-law.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Mitch, her mother,

Thelma Weeks Snipes, her father, Oliver Clem Snipes and her brother,

Marvin Oliver Snipes. She is survived by her daughter, Leslie Mitchell

Pringle and husband Adrian, son, Daryl Wayne Mitchell and wife,

Marion and grandson, Edward Mitchell and fiancé, Katie MacCall,

granddaughter, Delaney Mitchell, and her sister, Phyllis Snipes

Cooper Hendry, niece, Robin Cooper Thomas and family and nephew

Bradford Cooper and family.

A celebration of life service will be held Sunday, July 9, at 1:00 pm in

the Westminster Canterbury Chapel followed by a reception in the Anderson Bayview Room, 3100 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach Va. Inurnment will be at Woodlawn with a private ceremony.

The family would like to thank the Westminster Canterbury staff, nurses, Hospice workers, Dr. Squatrito and Virginia Oncology Associates and Seniorcorp for their compassionate care during Lea’s illness. She told us over and over how lucky she was to be in their care.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Westminster Canterbury Foundation, 3100 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, 23451.