Mary Louise Mitchell
January 2, 1923 - August 6, 2015
Mary Louise Toye Mitchell died peacefully at home on Thursday, August 6, 2015, in Concord, California. Mary was born on January 2, 1923, in Hoquiam, Washington, and, along with her brother Don and sisters Margaret and Betty, raised in Portland, Oregon. A 63-year resident of Walnut Creek and Concord, she is survived by her six children and their immediate families: Conrad Mitchell, Mary Ann Mitchell, Scott and Laura Mitchell, Mark and Theresa Mitchell, Joseph and Carol Pisciotta, Jim Mitchell, grandchildren Julian and Vinny Pisciotta, Marisa Iraheta, Kate and Parker Mitchell. Mary was predeceased by her daughter, Karen Mitchell.
Mary graduated from Portland’s Grant High School and attended Oregon State University, during which college years (as she loved to remind any and all) the Beavers beat Duke University in the 1941 Rose Bowl. While in high school Mary met Donald William Mitchell, a graduate of neighboring Commerce High. The two were eventually married on February 8, 1945, during Don’s years in the U.S. Navy. She was his childhood sweetheart and bride for 66 incredible years. Together they raised seven children and treasured each other’s company until her beloved Don passed away in 2011.
A marvelous Christian woman, Mary was a faithful member at First Presbyterian Church of Concord, where she served as an Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher and regular volunteer in countless ministries of the church. As well, she was active with the Bay Area Crisis Nursery, a Catholic charity of the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet.
Mary loved animals. She never met a stray critter she wouldn’t risk adopting into the household without Don’s knowledge. At one point in time, the family had 31 pets, a secret kept loosely between her and the children. Mary especially loved horses, which she learned to ride on a family ranch in The Dalles, Oregon. Once, while searching the Concord hills on her horse, “Nugget,” she rescued a young neighbor boy who had gotten lost. Along with countless other past pets, her black and white cat Pudge will sorely miss Mary.
A marvelous sketch and charcoal artist, Mary could draw virtually any animal or person, yet was most content when drawing horses. She was a lifelong learner, interested in (among other things) nature, piano, French and history. This love of learning once landed her a Docent position at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
Mary drank regularly from a fountain of youth that kept her skiing and playing tennis well into her eighties. She enjoyed stays with her family and many circles of friends at the family cabin on beautiful Lake Tahoe and the condo on the rugged Oregon coast. Always stylish and put together, she was elegant whether zipping around town in her Black Mercury Cougar, attending the Cal-Stanford Big Game, or playing the “Hostess with the Mostess” while entertaining at home. Her Betty Crocker baking skills were legendary. She excelled at making rhubarb pie, banana cake, sour crème cookies and Wacky Cake, to name a few of her most famous.
Mary was devoted to God, her husband and family, the Church and the arts, and to the waves of pets that washed up on her doorstep. She adored the love of her life, Don, as well as their children and grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church of Concord, 1965 Colfax Street in Concord, California, at Noon on Thursday, August 13, 2015. Mary will be buried at Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette, California. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either First Presbyterian Church of Concord or to the Bay Area Crisis Nursery, 1506 Mendocino Dr., Concord, CA, 94521.