Joseph Aloysius Mitchell

Joseph A. Mitchell (Joe) joined his wife Cathy and son Allan in Paradise in the evening of June 20, 2015, at the age of 93, in Avondale Estates. Joe was, in his own words, a son of a buck and lived his life until the end on his own terms. Joe was born and raised in Springfield, MA, the son of John Augustine and Helen Marie (Smith) Mitchell and one of 6 siblings. Joe began studying engineering at Purdue University, but soon decided that his true academic passion was English Literature and transferred to the University of Virginia. His studies were interrupted when World War II broke out and he found himself in the United States Army Air Forces. Stationed in Boca Raton, FL, he was a navigator on a B-17. One day on leave in Atlanta, he met and fell in love with Cathy Bottoms, who became his wife in 1945 after Cathy placed all of her worldly possessions into a foot locker and took a train to Fort Hays, Kansas where they were married. When he was released by the Army, he went back to Charlottesville, VA and finished his degree.

Joe started his career as an elementary school teacher. While Joe's love of learning and teaching was lifelong, he soon realized that for him it was better to pursue these as avocations, rather than as a profession.

After a visit to his family in Springfield, MA, Joe and Cathy went back to Atlanta and in order to be near Cathy's family. While there Joe completed a year-long training in printing sales. They moved to Winston-Salem, NC with two kids in tow (Margaret and Allan), and left for Atlanta again several years later with Mary and Nancy rounding out their brood. Joe and Cathy spent the rest of their 68 years of married life (as Joe would have said, holy mackerel) in their home in Avondale Estates. Joe worked at a printing salesman at Williams Printing during this time and only retired at age 73 at the insistence of his family and friends.
Joe never met a stranger. While garrulous, he was a humble man and generous with his time, volunteering at church, in the community, and with a bereavement group.
He was an avid tennis player, which gave his family and friends occasion to hear what passed for cursing with Joe - Lord God almighty, Holy mackerel, and Son of a buck were sometimes heard when he missed a ball. None of us ever heard anything blasphemous or vulgar. He was a true gentleman.
He will be remembered fondly by his children: Margaret Quinn (Jerry Bunce), Toni Mitchell (Allan's wife), Mary Santiago, and Nancy Poehlmann (Christian), and grandchildren Alison Quinn, Valerie Quinn (Brian Hoffman), Brian Mitchell (Kate), Chris Mitchell (Heather), Kevin Mitchell (Lisa), Joanna Mitchell, David Santiago (Amie), Katie Schultz, Diana Wilson Walters (Marvin), Lesley Woodruff (Ryan), Wolf Poehlmann, and Johann Poehlmann. Great-grandchildren are Molly Mitchell, Jake Mitchell, Alex Mitchell, Fritz Mitchell, Helen Santiago, Michael Santiago, Elizabeth Santiago, Connor Wilson, Gianna Wilson, Kali Walters, Hudson Walters, Hannah Woodruff, Colin Woodruff, and Grayson Woodruff.
Visitation will be at A. S. Turner Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 23, from 6 to 8 pm. The funeral will be at St. Thomas More Church in Decatur at 11 am on Wednesday, June 24. Burial will be in Cumming, GA at the Sawnee View Cemetery.





Funeral Home:
A.S. Turner
2773 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033