Iola Jean Mitchell

Iola Jean Mitchell was a loving wife, devoted mother, caring grandmother and cherished friend. Her greatest joy was seeing her children and grandchildren flourish. She poured the strength of her character and the value of family into their lives. Throughout her life, Jean was open and friendly, and she always had a smile for everyone. Iola was born in the decade of the Roaring Twenties when jazz was hot, Vaudeville was going strong, and the Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting on the radio. Charles Lindbergh made his historic transatlantic flight and the right to vote in national elections was granted to women. This world of boldness and independence would welcome one of its own when Iola Jean was born to Charles and Olive Lutheda (Drake) Fletcher on March 28, 1927. She was born at home in the countryside on the family farm outside the town of Morenci, Michigan. Her father was a farmer and her mother was busy at home with four boys and three girls. Iola Jean was the youngest child; her oldest sister was 20 years older than she, yet they always had a close relationship. It was not unusual that older siblings married and then had children who were the same age as Jean. Such was the case with her nephew Harold and niece Bea who affectionately called their aunt, Annie. They became the best of friends, riding horseback together, swinging from ropes in the hay loft, and climbing trees. Harold also walked Jean to school and must have been very protective of her because one day, when he was delayed and Jean went ahead without him, Harold became quite upset. He caught up with her and hit her across the head with his lunch bucket saying, "Don't ever leave without me!" Jean seemed to be able to take the rough and tumble of child's play and life on the farm. Simple country life built character and strength, especially on days when the kids woke up to blowing snow that had seeped through window frames and settled on top of their blankets. Daily work and play for Tom Boy Jean meant getting banged up and scraped. She was prone to getting slivers anywhere and everywhere. The funny thing was, she only allowed one person to remove the slivers and that was her sister Sarah's fianc, Hiram. Jean must have been very happy when the two got married. She had a built-in family member she could joke with and play pranks. One prank almost broke Hiram's neck when Jean pulled steps away from him. Such a mishap was absorbed into the strong family bond that Jean enjoyed with her siblings. She loved her family and relied on the depth of their commitment to one another, especially when her father died when Jean was 16. Life changed, but not their care for one another. With the death of her father, Jean's mother moved the family into the town of Morenci and went to work for Bancroft Cleaners. Jean attended Morenci High School and graduated in 1945. She was not able to go on to college, but that didn't stop Jean from getting an education. She taught herself accounting through a correspondence course and went to work for a photographer. The work she did tinting photographs was the beginning her interest in photography and, later, in painting. Her abilities sustained her for many years so that, later in life, Jean served her church as an accountant and enjoyed many hours paintings. The joy of family life continued when Jean met and married Ollie Mitchell. Their courtship began when Ollie returned from serving in the Army during WWII. He was introduced to Jean by his sister who was married to Jean's brother. Jean and Ollie were married on October 20, 1946 at the Methodist Church in Morenci. With his job as a bus driver for the City of Adrian, Michigan, Ollie supported the family that would eventually grow to include four wonderful children: Linda, Diana, Steve and Brian. While Ollie was rather over-protective, Jean was more relaxed, and the two of them proved to be "the best of parents." Together, the family cared for a host of pets from dogs and cats to rabbits, turtles, and a chicken and worked to remodel several homes Ollie and Jean purchased. As a family, they went on many memorable vacations and Sunday drives that carried a family secret. Ollie always sang during car trips, but he was compelled to stop before Jean chimed in. You see, she couldn't carry a tune! In retirement, Jean and Ollie moved to Florida in 1983 where she stayed active playing golf and painting. Sadly, her dear Ollie died in 1992. Jean might not have thought she could enjoy life more than with Ollie. But she was blessed to be introduced to a man with whom she formed a deep friendship. Because Jean participated in so many activities at Unity United Methodist Church, she continued to meet new people. A friend of Jean's introduced her to Al Longnecker at a dance, and from that day, they became inseparable friends and companions. Al opened a whole new world to Jean, taking her dancing, golfing, to movies, plays and concerts, and checking out numerous new places to eat. She was once again enjoying life in courtship. Al was a very important part of Jean's life and they were devoted to each other. Her children considered their mother fortunate to have been loved so dearly twice in her life. Jean's children share fond memories of their mother. They talk of her being somewhat naive, but in a way that was good for the kids. Linda remembers being compared to her dad in that she would shoot off the mouth, but then listen in the end. Diana recalls how they teased their mother because she was "old school", attending first to her husband, her sons, then her daughters, but always herself last. Jean's daughters admit they did not follow in her footsteps in that regard. In the past few years, Steve had the pleasure of responding to his mother's calls to help fix something. For example, she wanted him to fix a running faucet that only dripped a few times a day, and she was concerned that a scratch on the car's plastic trim would rust. Jean was very meticulous, sometimes to the extreme. Her son Brian bore the fate of many youngest children. When his mother got excited and tried to call him by name, she always started with the oldest child's name and worked her way through all of them until she finally got to his. These memories and many more will be shared and treasured by Jean's beloved family. Iola Jean Mitchell, age 79, died Tuesday, March 20, 2007. She is survived by her 2 daughters, Linda (Bud) Lamb of Muskegon, Diana (Butch) Johnson of IL; 2 sons, Steve (Shelly) Mitchell of Muskegon, Brian (Terry) Mitchell of PA; 15 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great grandchildren; 2 sisters, Delora Ehlinger of Morenci, MI, Sarah Johnson of Morenci, MI; 2 sisters-in-law, Virginia (Cecil) Rye of Alabama, Gertie Mitchell of Adrian, MI; 2 brothers, Rex (Ruby) Fletcher of FL, Elwood Fletcher of Adrian,MI; Very Special Friend and Companion, Al Longnecker of Fremont. She was preceded in death by her husband Ollie in 1992, grandson Joseph in 1990 and granddaughter, Tina Puffer in 2006. A service to celebrate Jean's life will be held Saturday, March 24, 2007, 10:30 AM at Clock Chapel with Pastor Nancy Besemer officiating. Interment at E. Dalton-Oakhill Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, 2-4 and 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home~Muskegon. Memorial contributions may be made to Unity United Methodist Church Memorial Fund.