Neil L. "Mitch" Mitchell of Wilmington, MA, formerly of Lynn, MA, passed away peacefully, December 19, 2019. Neil was born in Richford, Vermont, to Oliver and Glenna (Kennedy) Mitchell, where he lived until the age of 12. His family moved to Lynn, MA, where he met the love of his life, Joan Horgan, to whom he was married for 53 years. Neil enlisted in the United States Navy in 1952 during the Korean War and served on the auxiliary oiler, U.S.S. Allagash AO-97, supplying fuel and ammunition to ships on the US eastern seaboard, in the West Indies, and the Mediterranean. He was honorably discharged in 1956.
Neil was a devoted husband and caregiver to his wife, who had a chronic illness, prior to her passing away in 2008. He was also a dedicated, hard-working, family man. To meet the needs of his family, both as a youth in his teens and after his discharge from the Navy, he often held several part-time jobs, in addition to his full-time position as a machinist at Harvard Folding Box Co., where he worked for over 30 years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Valladolid Council, No. 70 and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), having ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.
Neil was very generous throughout his life to those in need; lending a helping hand, providing his limited free time to youth organizations, donating supplies, supporting the church and numerous charities in any way he could. In his early retirement years, Neil and his wife happily spent most days caring for their young grandchildren and continued to do so after school as they grew older. Neil loved the time spent with all of his grandchildren, always greeting them with a big smile and open arms and usually sending them home with candy or some sort of treat.
Neil enjoyed relaxing with family and friends. He loved trying new restaurants with his wife Joan, solving crossword puzzles, working on jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, building model ships and watching Westerns and 007 movies. He had a sweet tooth second to none and loved animals. He was also an avid sports fan, whether it was the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics or Patriots.
Neil is predeceased by his wife, Joan (Horgan) Mitchell and his brother, Gilbert Wise.
He leaves behind his sisters, Winifred (Wise) Rewes of Winter Haven, FL, and Eleanor (Mitchell) Cuthbert and her husband Francis of Lynn, his Sister-in-law Virginia (Horgan) Bradbury of Ocala, Fl and longtime family friend, Ann Sannizzaro of Woburn, MA.
Neil is survived by his 4 children, James Mitchell and his wife Donna, of Milton, MA, Edward Mitchell of Wilmington, MA, Brenda (Mitchell) Emerzian and her husband Paul of Wilmington, MA and Bruce Mitchell of New Canaan, CT. Neil also leaves behind his 8 grandchildren: Matthew and Julie Mitchell, Gabrielle and Taylor Emerzian, Aedan, Dane, Rhiannon and Rune Mitchell.
A funeral service will be conducted in the Dello Russo Family Funeral Home, 374 Main St., Wilmington, Friday, December 27th, at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend and may visit with the family prior to the service starting at 10 a.m. Services will conclude with military honors and burial at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Peabody.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Toys for Tots, a charity foundation which was near and dear to Neil's heart, www.toysfortots.org or the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org/.