J.D. Mitchell

J.D. Mitchell, son of the late Walter James, Jr. and Erica Telisha (Fletcher) Mitchell, was born March 28, 1935, in Norwood, Missouri, and departed this life July 17, 2017 at Cox Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. He was 82 years, 3 months, and 20 days of age.

J.D. was born on his grandfather Fletcher’s farm on E Highway, across the road from the Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church, north of Norwood. Later, his family moved to a new farm that was called “Liberty Tree Farm” on Kemper Road. J.D. went to elementary school at Mountain Valley and then went to High School in Mountain Grove. After high school, in 1952, J.D. entered the U.S. Navy. He served in Korea, on ships in the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Caribbean and also in the Cuban Blockade. He also was a Recruit Company Commander who trained Navy recruits in Great Lakes, Illinois. After 20 years of active duty service, he transferred to fleet reserves where he served an additional 10 years before retiring from the Navy on January 1, 1982 with the rank of Boiler Tender Chief Petty Officer, BTC E-7.

J.D. was united in marriage to Joyce Ann West on April 22, 1960 in Norfolk, Virginia.

J.D. was saved at a young age at Morning Sun Church and was baptized in Whetstone Creek on November 16, 1947. Much later in life he answered the call to preach and became a licensed Free Will Baptist minister. He served as pastor for 2 years at Walnut Grove Free Will Baptist Church in Walnut Hill, Illinois. Under his leadership, the congregation grew and required a church building expansion.

J.D. was a faithful member of Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church at the time of his passing. He loved his church family and enjoyed participating in worship and fellowship with his brothers and sisters in Christ.

In his spare time, J.D. enjoyed fishing, riding horses, wood working, and breeding and showing his basset hound dogs at AKC dog shows.

Besides his parents, J.D. was preceded in death by two brothers, Dean and Larry, one sister, Linda Archer, and one daughter-in-law, Lisa Mitchell.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce, of Georgetown, South Carolina, one son, Daniel “Danny” J. Mitchell of Millersville, Missouri, one grandson, Daniel J. Mitchell, II of Millersville, one sister, Wanda Young and her husband, Tom, of Hartville, Missouri, one brother-in-law, Jerry Archer of Cabool, Missouri, one sister-in-law, Joy Mitchell of Springfield, Missouri, many nieces and nephews, and other family, friends, and church family who will greatly miss him.