Lola Mitchell

Lola Mitchell, 88, of Felton, passed into eternal rest on Sunday May 30, 2021 at home surrounded by family and her very special care helper Amy Banks. She was the daughter of the late Marshall and Marion Ellis of East Springfield, PA.

Lola had a 30 year nursing career which included working with children recovering from polio at the Zem Zem Shriners hospital for children in Erie, PA.

She married the love of her life and travelled as an Air Force wife to Japan and Indiana before moving to Dover when he got stationed in 1964. She worked in several area nursing homes including Milford Manor.

Lola was involved with the arts communities and took her children to a variety of movies, plays, and concerts.  She was an excellent guitar and recorder player and spent many summers attending The Long Island recorder festival with her sister Ruth.  She taught guitar in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s at the YMCA and there are still people who remember taking lessons from her. She hopes you still play!  She taught in exchange for her four children taking swim lessons.

Lola was the proud mother of two sets of twins.  She made sure they had story time growing up and spent many hours reading them the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and stories like Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.  She was involved with the adult literacy program.

 Lola instilled a love and respect of nature in her kids, showing her love of the outdoors, and took us for many day adventures that involved hiking and cooking in the woods.  She was an accomplished doll maker and had her own business called Lola’s Loveables.  She and her husband taught ballroom dance classes and they were involved with several area dance clubs.

She loved all animals especially cats, including her two fur babies, Timmy and Kiko who are missing her.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband Lt. Col. Paul F. Mitchell, Retired USAF, and also her sister Jeannie Graetz, who along with her husband, the Rev. Robert S. Graetz, passed three months apart in 2020.  They were deeply respected and loved civil rights pioneers involved with the Montgomery Bus boycott and so much more. One highlight Lola was proud of was that they had the opportunity to dine with Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family during that time.

 She is survived by her sons, Richard P. Mitchell, William E. (Cheryl) Mitchell, daughters Julia A Noland (Edward), and Fae L. Baudour (Frank); sisters Ruth E. Warner (Dane), Mary Maxwell (Joseph) and Kathleen Iamaio (Nick); five grandsons, Ross, Sean, and Kyle Rader, and Tyler Roberts and Nolan Asszony.

The family wishes to thank Amy Banks, Harriet Davies, the Staff of Delaware Hospice including Thelma Hunter, Nurse Tiffany, and Chaplain Kevin White.

In lieu of flowers, Lola would want you to be kind to each other, plant a garden, adopt a cat, send someone a card (thank you Kat), visit someone who can’t get out, teach someone to read,  or support Local musicians and artists like Sol Knopf, Paul Donovan, Nancy and Jerry Maliwesky and the Sun Room Concerts and Jim Rezac at the Delaware Guitar School. Please donate any used musical instruments to REZACNU at the Delaware Guitar School, 302-632-7282. Lola donated all of her recorders to this cause.  Lastly please someone find a cure for Alzheimers!!

A service to celebrate Lola’s life will be on Monday, June 7, 2021 at Melvin Funeral Home, 15522 South DuPont Hwy, Harrington, at 12  PM.  A visitation for family and friends will start at 11 AM .  A second viewing will take place on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Jean Evans Thompson Funeral Home, 11883 Main St, East Springfield, PA 16411, from 11 am – 12 pm.  Interment will be at the East Springfield Cemetery.

 Arrangements are by the Thomas E. Melvin & Son Funeral Home Inc., Harrington, DE and Jean Evans Thompson Funeral Home, East Springfield, PA.

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