John J. Mitchell, 96, husband of Patricia E. (Green) Mitchell of South Bend, Indiana and  husband of the late Geraldine F. Mitchell formerly of Ipswich died January 19, 2016 at home following his long illness.

Born in Boston October 5, 1919 he was the oldest of the four children of the late Perry and Helen (Lane) Mitchell. John was raised in Brighton, a 1938 graduate in of Brighton High School, also having attended Boston University. Married in 1941 the Mitchells made their home in Brighton. Drafted in 1944, he served two years in Italy and the Philippines with the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge he worked for five years at Hood Rubber in Watertown. Relocating to  Naugatuck, CT where  John worked for the next twenty years at Uniroyal  as a Traffic Manager. John went on to work for Converse Inc. in Wilmington and then to Allied Chemical /Bendix Corp. in South Bend, IN as Director of Transportation from which he retired.

John was an avid vegetable gardener, he loved photography, was a collector of Lionel model trains,  was a ham radio operator and loved his many cats. He was a former member of the Elks Lodge and Civil Defense organizations while he lived in Connecticut. He  was a communicant of Christ the King Catholic Church in South Bend, IN.

 In addition, to his wife Patricia of thirty-four  years, he is survived by his son Richard Mitchell and wife Judy of Ipswich; three daughters, Gerry Mitchell of Ipswich, Maureen Mitchell-Duncan of Gloucester, Sheila Dawson-Elward and her husband Jerry Elward of Wells, ME; step sons, Michael Mitchell of South Bend, IN, Andrew Golden of  NC; a step daughter,  Cheryl Hughes of NH; eleven grandchildren, Lynn Bennett of  and   Brenda Van der Toorn both of   AZ, Bonnie Solis of   CT, Larry Mitchell of FL , Michael Dawson of  Rowley,  Frank Dawson of  Fall River,  Cameron Dawson of  Wells ME, Ryan and Michelle Mitchell both of  Ipswich, Travis and Daniel Duncan both of  Essex and eight great grandchildren. John was predeceased by three sons, George Mitchell  and  Jack Mitchellof  both of NY and Michael Mitchell of Ipswich.

His funeral will be held 8 am Wednesday, January 27 from the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home, 6 High Street followed by the celebration of a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial 9:00 am in Our Lady of Hope Church, Pineswamp Road, Ipswich.  Family and friends are respectfully welcomed. Interment with Military Honors will  be in the Cowles Memorial Cemetery.