Mitchell, Marian Mrs. Edwin L. 1936-2011

MITCHELL, HARRIS, JOHNSON

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - Volunteer (email)
Date: 11/9/2011 at 04:22:51

Marian Mitchell
July 14, 1936 - November 2, 2011
The earthly life of Mrs. Marian Mitchell, of Alton, ended on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at the Orange City Area Health System Long Term Care Facility, at the age of 75.
There will be a funeral service on Saturday, November 5, at 1:00pm, at the Alton Presbyterian Church in Alton. Pastor Dennis Sohl will officiate. A reception at the church will follow the service. There will be a graveside service on Saturday, at 3:30pm, at the First Plymouth Presbyterian Cemetery in rural Le Mars. Visitation will be after 4:00pm on Friday, with the family present from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.
Marian was born on July 14, 1936, at Akron, the daughter of Joseph P. and Gladys (Harris) Johnson. She was raised on a farm near Akron. She attended Morningside College in Sioux City, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music. She then was a music teacher in the Des Moines public school system.
On October 23, 1959, she married Edwin Lee Mitchell in Des Moines. In 1961, they decided to make their home in Alton, where she taught music at the Floyd Valley Schools.
Marian was extremely active in her community. She was a member of the Alton Presbyterian Church, where she was very involved in music, as a choir director, pianist, and in providing special music for services. She was an accomplished vocalist, pianist, and cellist, enjoying all genres of music.
She liked traveling to new places and having adventures with her husband. She participated in numerous activities with her friends and family, including biking, bowling, golfing, cooking, fishing, gardening, and knitting. Marian and Ed also volunteered in missions, working in Massachusetts and Alaska.
In 2003, after a courageous struggle with Parkinson’s Disease, Marian became a resident of the Long Term Care Facility.
Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Ed; two daughters and their husbands, Tana Jo and Dr. Robert D. Sparks, of Rockwall, Texas; and Amy Christine and Robert Becker, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; three grandchildren, Mary Jo Sparks, Amy Lou Sparks, and Michael Bradford Sparks; and two sisters, Elizabeth Oliphant, of Cedar Rapids; and Ramona (Ray) Weenink, of Akron.
Source: Oolman Funeral Home, Orange City, IA., obit.