RENO, Nev. — Marian LaVonne Mitchell
passed away at home in Reno, Nevada, on February 5, 2020.
She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1934, and was the daughter of Sarah Luyet and Henry Meirose Jr. LaVonne attended Holy Souls and Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock. She was an accomplished pianist and was known to have played the accordion on occasion too.
In 1951 she married her childhood sweetheart, Navy recruit Ben Mitchell. In their 50-year marriage, she traveled coast to coast, plus Guam and the Philippines, before settling in Imperial Beach, California. LaVonne loved coastal living, swimming, golfing and year round gardening in the mild climate. She also enjoyed being team mother for Little League teams that Ben managed and a Brownie Scout leader, worked as assistant manager in retail sales and also operated new computerized cash registers at NAS North Island.
Next they relocated inland to El Centro, California, where Ben was an official court reporter for the Imperial County Municipal Courts, and LaVonne assisted in transcript production and continued her passion of gardening and outdoor living, despite the unique challenges of being in the desert. She and Ben were members of the Barbara Worth Country Club, where LaVonne served as secretary for the ladies club and played in many golf tournaments throughout Imperial County and beyond.
Later, when she and Ben moved to Sherwood, Arkansas, to enjoy their retirement, LaVonne put away her golf clubs and took every opportunity to travel, visiting multiple National Parks, major U.S. Cities and Canada, while keeping photographic journals of her experiences. After Ben’s passing, she moved to Reno, Nevada, to spend her final years.
LaVonne will be remembered for her enduring love of family, friends and pets; her fascination with all animals; her ability to grow almost anything indoors and out; her patience to teach music and sewing; her impeccable housekeeping, endless curiosity, lively sense of humor, great eye for color and style, and she even refinished furniture.
LaVonne is survived by her sister, DeEtta Meirose Saunders; son, Tony (Vicky) Mitchell; daughter Connie (Bob) Eisenberg; grandchildren, Vanessa (Waachiim) Spiritwolf, Joel (Marta) Eisenberg, and Paula Eisenberg; also three great-grandchildren, Waachiim Jr., Benjamin and Claire; plus numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, John Harvey Meirose, and a sister, Ella Magdalena Meirose. Services will be held in North Little Rock and Cabot, Arkansas.