David Webb Mitchell Sr.

August 8, 1936 – March 9, 2022

David W. Mitchell of Eastham passed away peacefully on March 9, 2022, at the VNA McCarthy Care Center in East Sandwich in the embrace of his loving family after a long struggle with dementia. He was 85.

Born in New York City on August 8, 1936 to Jacques A. Mitchell, Jr. and Helen V. (West) Mitchell, he was the fourth of their five children.

During World War II, the family relocated to Leesburg, Virginia, while his dad served in the OSS. Following the war, they lived in Chappaqua, New York. In 1954, Dave graduated from Horace Greeley High School where he was a star athlete. The family’s second home and gathering place for frequent visits and reunions through the years was his mother’s birthplace in Dorset, Vermont.

He attended Union College, and continued participating in sports, particularly baseball, of which he had an encyclopedic knowledge; he was once scouted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He took a break after his sophomore year to enlist and serve in the US Army at Fort Knox in Kentucky, where he played on the post baseball team, and it should be noted that nobody dared start a war while he wore his country’s uniform.

He returned to Union, finished his degree in 1960, married Carol Thompson and started a family while working for General Electric in Schenectady, New York. He then became a CPA and took a position with Arthur Andersen & Co. where he was soon on track to become a partner, and the family moved to Vernon, Connecticut.

Vacations on Cape Cod led to the decision to relocate to Dennisport in 1974, and Dave founded his own accounting firm in Orleans, Vlacich, Mitchell & Co., CPAs, with his two partners, Tom Vlacich and Jim Pye. He served his clients well and faithfully for over four decades until his retirement and made countless friends. He was also the treasurer for Montague Machine Co. in Turners Falls, Mass. for many years.

Being in Orleans, and his palpable love of baseball soon led to his becoming involved with the summer collegiate team, the Orleans Cardinals (now the Firebirds), and the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was the team’s treasurer for well over thirty years, and many players worked for him as interns. In his younger years, he enjoyed being the BP pitcher on occasion, and he was never shy about helping umpires make the correct calls. He became a host dad as well, and his numerous summer sons became members of his family, and he followed their careers avidly. He also loved golf, and enjoyed many hours playing with friends and family, particularly tournaments with his brother Pete, and legendary events like the Castleberry Closed and the epic Mitchell family generational battles for the coveted Pfaelz Cup.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his sister Betsy Mitchell, his brother Jacques A. Mitchell III, his brother Peter W. Mitchell, and his brother-in-law and his wife, Harry and Vina Thompson. He is survived by his daughter Elizabeth (Libby) Mitchell and her husband Jim Herity of Sharon, Connecticut; his daughter Holley Mitchell and her partner Chris Zimmer of Dennisport; his daughter Cara Mitchell and her husband Don Richard of Falmouth, and his son David W. Mitchell, Jr. and his wife Kim Mullins-Mitchell of Clarksburg, Maryland. He also leaves ten grandchildren: Jack Santoro and his wife Ashley, Helen Santoro and her wife Ky Hamilton, William Santoro, Mitchell Wagenbach, Christopher Wagenbach and his wife Christa, James Wagenbach, Carly Mitchell, Aidan Mitchell, Liam Mullins-Mitchell, and Noah Mullins-Mitchell, and two great-grandsons, Dennis and Christopher Wagenbach. He also leaves his younger sister, Holley Eaton and her husband Richard Munn, his sisters-in-law Charlene (Mimi) Mitchell, Gail Mitchell, Linda Nielsen (husband Karl) and Deborah Thompson (husband David Palmer), and his cousin Landy Bartlett. In addition, he leaves his former spouse, Carol T. Mitchell, fourteen nieces and nephews, twenty-six grandnieces and grandnephews, and a great-grandniece and great-grandnephew. His life partner and caregiver, Sue Horton of Eastham, also survives, and his cat Raz, who kept faithful watch over him, and many lifelong friends who he considered family.

He was a gentle man and a gentleman, and we will miss his quick wit and irrepressible humor, his warm and affectionate nature, his wisdom, his positive outlook, his boundless kindness and generosity, and his loving heart which always had room for one more. He was a role model and mentor to many, and he made everyone around him feel special; we are all better for having him in our lives.

Dave’s family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staff on Mugar 3 at Cape Cod Hospital, and the amazing nurses at the VNA McCarthy Care Center who kept him safe and comfortable.

An informal celebration of David's life will take place behind home plate at Eldredge Park on Friday, July 15, 2022 at 4:00 PM. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfhorleans.com.

Memorial donations may be made to the Orleans Athletic Association, Inc., PO Box 504, Orleans, MA 02653 (www.orleansfirebirds.com), and/or VNA Hospice of Cape Cod, c/o Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, PO Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601.

“Best man on the Cape.”