Joseph Richard Mitchell

Joseph Mitchell was born April 30, 1930, in Bellevue, Ohio, the fourth of six children to mother Caroline and father Biagio Micciulla.

 He grew up in Bellevue and attended Bellevue High School, and served in the US Navy aboard the USS Newport News.  After his service he returned to Ohio and met Marilyn Jean Rutan, and they were married in 1956 and had four children. They lived in Cleveland, Ohio where he was employed by International Business Machines. They moved to Boardman, Ohio in 1964. Joseph remained with IBM until his retirement in 1987. During his tenure there he rose to the position of district manager and he received a number of management excellence awards.  After retirement he and Marilyn moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he lived out the remainder of his life.

Joseph joined the Presbyterian church and became very active in their social programs serving the underprivileged. While a member of St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmington he helped lead their wheelchair access program, which built well over 100 wheelchair ramps for the disabled and elderly in the Wilmington area. He was also a founding board member of the Wilmington chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Joseph was very proud of and committed to his family, his faith, and his Sicilian heritage. He loved good food, good wine, was an excellent cook and enjoyed traveling with Marilyn and his family. He will be missed by his family, friends, and the community he served.

He passed away quietly at the Davis Community nursing home on the morning of January 8th.

 He is survived by his wife Marilyn Mitchell; children Joseph Mitchell (Diane Conklin), Janine Mitchell, William Mitchell, and Melissa Haldeman (David); and grandchildren William and Krista Mitchell.

 A memorial service will be held at the St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church on Thursday, January 18th at 11 am. 

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church (memo: Sheltercare) for the wheelchair ramp program.