Mary Ware Martin Mitchell, 91, of Milledgeville passed away Friday, February 1, 2002, at Mecklenburg Health Care Center in Charlotte. North Carolina. A graveside funeral service was held for Mrs. Mitchell at 2:00 p.m. Monday, February 4, 2002, at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where she was laid to rest. The Rev. David Bradley officiated.
Born May 25, 1910, in Leesburg, Mrs. Mitchell was the daughter of the late Morgan McKay Martin and Marie Forrester Martin. She and her sister, Catharine spent their childhood in Leesburg. She attended Leesburg High School until her mother took a position as a housemother in Milledgeville at the Georgia State College for Women. Upon her graduation from high school in Milledgeville, she went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts with a Major in English and a Monor in French from the Georgia State College for Women. During her last year at the Georgia State College for Women, she began what was to become a 37-year teaching career.
Her love of the French language led her to continue her education at Mercer and Emory Universities. In the summer of 1932, she traveled to France to study at the Sorbonne. She returned to complete her Masters in French from Emory University and continued teaching French, Latin and English at Tifton High School.
On December 26, 1936, she married Tilden Abney Mitchell, Jr. in Tifton. She continued teaching as her family grew to include a son, Tilden Abney Mitchell, III and daughters, Catharine Forrester Mitchell and Alcyone Short Mitchell.
Mrs. Mitchell traveled to France again in the summer of 1963 on an Emory University Overseas Program. A pioneer in new and intere4sting ways of teaching including the development of the first language laboratory at Tifton High School, she continued to study throughout her life at various colleges such as the University of Georgia and Valdosta State College.
Mrs. Mitchell was a well-known teacher at Tifton High School most of her career and will be remembered as a challenging and fair educator. During her years as a high school teacher, she sponsored the annual, The Talisman, and engineered many floats and fair exhibits for the language department. In 1957, she was chosen Tift County Teacher of the Years and Star Teacher in 1960.
In addition to touching many lives at Tifton High School, she spent her last five years of teaching as an Assistant Professor of Modern Foreign Languages at Valdosta State College.
Upon her retirement in 1973, she and her husband moved from Tifton to Milledgeville to spend their retirement on the lake. Their retirement together was shortened by the death of her husband in May of 1975.
Mrs. Mitchell spent her retirement years with an active life in the town of Milledgeville. She built her beloved home, "her territory", on the lake beside her sone and enjoyed showing off her currently blooming flowers to her children and grandchildren. She delighted in "wetting a worm" from her dock and more times than not, she was successful at catching a fish. She loved birds and knew them, not only by sight, but also by their calls. She had many special friends in the Iris Club and Garden Club and kept The Union Recorder apprised of club events.
Mrs. Mitchell was an adventurer and loved to travel. She was especially thrilled to return to France in May of 1993, finally accompanied by her two daughters.
During her years in Milledgeville, she cared for her sister, Miss Catharine Martin, now 92, who continued to reside at Green Acres Nursing Home.
Because of failing health, Mrs. Mitchell moved to Brantley's Retirement Home in January of 1998. She continued to write poetry and was proud to have her work published in the International Library of Poetry.
In February of 1000, she moved to Lake Wylie, South Carolina, to be near of daughter, Alcy, who cared for her faithfully in an assisted living facility and when she was moved to Mecklenburg Healthcare Center in June of 2001. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Milledgeville.
Her children are especially grateful for the loving care and friendship given to her by "her two Janices", Janice Aycock of Milledgeville and Janice Moore of Rock Hill, South Carolina, plus her faithful visitor and former student (1942), John Matthews of Orlando, Florida.
In addition to her sister, son and daughters, she is survived by her daughter-in-law, Mary Taylor Mitchell; sons-in-law, Bobby Tyson and Bill Whisenant; grandchildren, Steve Mitchell, Tom Mitchell, Todd Whisenant, Shanno Zavitkovsky, Gina Sander and Rob Tyson; and fifteen great-grandchildren.
Cards and memories would be greatly appreciated by her children and may be sent to Alcy Whisenant, 333 River Point Road, Lake Wylie, South Carolina, 29710, or [email protected].