12/13-John Mitchel

VISITATION will be Friday, December 16 2016 from 6:30-7:30 pm, at Hill and Son Funeral Home Appleton City, Missouri.

OFFICIATING at the service will be Dr. David Maggi.

The Family suggests any MEMORIAL contributions be made to the Truman Lake Community Foundation or the Veteran’s League, Missouri Veteran’s Home, 1300 Veterans Rd., Warrensburg, MO 64093.

BURIAL will be in the Montrose Cemetery, Montrose, Missouri.

John W. Mitchel, 94, of Montrose, Missouri died December 9, 2016 at the Veteran’s Administration Home in Warrensburg, Missouri where he had resided since 2006.

John was born May 9, 1922, the second of four siblings to Fred M. and Hattie (VanGorden) Mitchel, and attended Wagner school through the 8^th grade. When the school bus started running, the oldest 3 siblings all went to Appleton City High School. John was very active in Vo-Ag and graduated in 1939.

John was a son of the Depression, World War II and years of farming work.  He milked cows twice daily over 40 years to build the family business.  Early hours were never a problem, as John was always up and going at 4:30 am, even in his later years at the VA.  Many days as a youth during the Depression were spent working in the fields at $.50 a day to help the family, when he wasn’t doing farm work at home.  There was never a horse he didn’t want to ride, and he related stories of wrangling groups of horses or cattle his dad bought at sales, driving and herding sometimes as far as 30 miles all the way back home.  His mother said John would be at the barn every morning with a little cup to drink fresh warm milk when he was a small child.

John was drafted into the military in October 1942, because the board said the Government needed soldiers, not corn.  John was the Army Veteran who could talk about Leyte, Mindanao, Luzon and Okinawa.  The 96^th Infantry Division was on the beach when Kamikaze attacked the ships from which they came during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  Staff Sergeant Mitchel earned a Bronze Star along with other metals for heroism on Okinawa.

John’s hearing was always bad, which was a caused from going over ship-side down cargo nets to sit on assault transports, under the big guns, as the fired on the enemy island.  John’s squadron fired a 50 caliber heavy-machine gun on Okinawa, and after heavy losses, they were back in the Philippines training for invasion of home islands when VJ Day occurred.

Back home, John married Aileen Holt on February 16, 1947 and farmed, rising two sons, Jerry and Terry.  Deborah, his beloved daughter-in-law, was a close friend and confidant.  The loves of his life were two granddaughters, Lara (James) Christiano and Dara (Eric) Havemann.  All they had to say was, “Grand-Dad, we want to come ride”, and the horses were saddled and ready.

In later years John and his good friends, Edward Dugan and D.W. Foster would be found on horseback capturing wild cattle or riding in local parades with the Henry County Posse.  He would ride horses throughout his life until late into retirement.

John was active in numerous community activities, serving FHA & SCS boards, and was a district chairman for Mid-America Dairy Association for years.  He was a Sunday school superintendent at Montrose CP Church for many years.  In September 2015, John participated in an Honor Flight trip along with other WWII Veterans for his first visit to Washington, D.C.  John farmed until the end, having asked three days before death if the beans were combined and whether the fall calves were finished.

John was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and daughter-in-law, Deborah.  He is survived by his wife, Aileen of Appleton City Nursing Facility; two sons, Jerry and Terry; two granddaughters, Dara and Lara; five great-grandchildren, Anise, Arbor and Linden Havemann of McKinney, Texas, along with Joren and Jemma Christiano of Charleston, West Virginia; as well as several nieces and nephews.  All of his friends from the VA home and many others will miss him.