The last family owned funeral home in Thurston County.

William Henry Mitchell, 83, of Lacey, WA, passed away on June 10, 2023 with his family by his side.

 

Will was born in Utica, NY, to James and Mary Alice Leach Mitchell. His family moved to Hamilton, NY when he was in  4th grade and had many stories of growing up on Lake Moraine with his three brothers and two sisters. Some of his favorite childhood memories were of  the summers he spent with his Leach grandparents at their cottage on Wellesley Island on the St Lawrence River, NY. 

 

He graduated from Central Hamilton High School and joined the Navy where he served as a Radarman on the USS Hissem. Will married his high school sweetheart, Julia, a few days after she graduated from Cornell School of Nursing. They moved to Toronto where Julia worked as a nurse and Will graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of Toronto. 

 

Will was a Public Health Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for 33 years. He worked in many public health programs across the country before retiring in Lacey, WA. 

 

He was proud of his participation with the Small Pox Eradication Program, volunteering for three months in India in 1975 and three months in Somalia in 1979. 

 

He also worked for the US Quarantine Station at SeaTac for seven years after he retired from the CDC and 

volunteered in the community. He was the HOA president for.ten years and prepared taxes  at the Timberland Library for eight years. He and Julia also loved volunteering together at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge for many years. 

 

Will was a wonderful story teller with a very sharp wit. He was well read and looked forward to reading the New York Times every morning. He kept up with politics and current events and was not afraid to share his opinion. He believed in helping those less fortunate and always rooted for the underdog. He was a kind man and a mentor to many over his lifetime. 

 

He also enjoyed  listening to Irish music, dancing to big band and oldies with Julia, reciting poetry, researching and sharing family genealogy, and most of all, spending time with his family whom he loved very much. 

 

Will was preceded in death by his parents, his infant son, Michael, and his brothers, James and Thomas. He is survived by his beloved wife Julia, and their children; Joan (Chuck) Chiarotti, Brian (Judie) Mitchell, and Nick Mitchell. Grandchildren  Lia (Keith) Young, Alec Chiarotti, Jake Mitchell,  Claire (Drake) Bodine and great grandson, Charles Young, brother Michael (Patty) Mitchell, and sisters Jill Anne Smith and  Jane Williams and sister in law, Maria Koenig ( Dick) Sinn and many nieces and nephews. 

 

Will will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved him. 

 

We'd like to thank the nurses at Tacoma General and Puget Sound Hospice for their compassionate care.