Contributions to the tribute of Donald Keith Mitchell

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Saturday, January 16, 2021

There's no easy way to say goodbye so I won't say goodbye I'll say see you later Godfather you were always a joy to see every time you came into my father's house and I saw you. You always lit the room up with your incredibly contagious smile you were always full of joy and laughter and love in your heart. I will never forget you thank you for all the kind words the smiles and hugs every time I saw you. To Mrs Paula who I haven't seen so in many years its Yolanda I've grown up into a woman now. I have this message for you stay strong live life this is not the end you will see Godfather again keep this smile I love you and the family God be with you. God father Donnie I love forever

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Jonathan Ware posted a condolence

Saturday, January 16, 2021

We would like to send you our deepest and warmest condolences. Keeping you in our prayers. May God comfort and bless you. -Jonathan and Gia Ware

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The Ware family purchased flowers

Friday, January 15, 2021

The Ware family

purchased the Bright and Beautiful Spray for the family of Donald Mitchell. Send Flowers

We are thinking of you during this difficult time. God bless and comfort you and your family. Forever in our hearts. Much love.

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Lillie.B.Foy posted a condolence

Friday, January 15, 2021

Special blessings of condolence to Mother Hyacinth Roach, for God has safely carried your' Son, Donald to an eternal rest of peace. Grace and peace, upon your every day ahead. Lovingly, your 'adopted' daugther~(Twiggy's best friend and Jabari's god-mom). Always in God's love. ~Evangelist.Lillie.Foy & Family.

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Evangelist.Lillie.Foy posted a condolence

Friday, January 15, 2021

Condolence Blessings, to the family & friends of Donald K. Mitchell. Prayers of consolation & peace, that his life was well lived and that he completed his full assignment, on this earthly realm. Amen. My friendship to him, Twiggy, & his' entire family, since 1969, has been a reward and joy. He was true gentle-soul, with an exceptional kind heart. He had one of the greatest smiles, you could ever experience~as if he knew a secret, that he can't tell you. {And a close duplicate smilez is by his' niece, Njawa}. Lol, in respect. Yes, he will be missed by wife, Paula & Sons~but, his memories I pray will fill up the times of sadness. God bless you. R.I.P.~Donald & pray that 'Jah' will keep your soul safely cradled in His' love. Always in godly' love. Sister & friend~ Evangelist Lillie.B.Foy & Family, Somerset N.J.

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Tribute Store

Friday, January 15, 2021

Florist Choice Bouquet was purchased for the family of Donald Mitchell. Send Flowers

From Mama, with love

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Paula Mitchell posted a condolence

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Brilliant, funny, loyal, protector are just a few words that describe Donald Mitchell, the husband, father, son, brother, uncle, brother-in-law, cousin , friend, and colleague. His was a life well lived. He attended Central Branch Primary School from 1957-1959. He was accepted to Kingston College (KC) in 1960 on a full common entrance scholarship at age 10 and joined the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force at age 12. Donald was a brilliant model student, graduating in 1967. He achieved subject passes in both Local and A Level GCE proficiency tests. As his family friend Errol McCreath recounts, Donald was a member of the KC Cadet Rifle Team. In 1967 the KC Cadet Rifle Team won the Annual Daley Cup shoot held at the Twickenham Park shooting range. Teams island-wide took part in the competition shot with full bore (.303) rifles. Donald achieved the highest NCO rank of Company Sergeant Major (CSM) at age 16. He and his cadet troop mates took numerous hikes to Blue Mountain Peak. Their motto was, “The Brave May Fall But Never Yield. Fortis Cadere Cedere Non Potest.” In 1967 Donald immigrated to the United States. He was drafted into the US Army in 1969 and received an honorable discharged from active duty in 1971. He graduated from Rutgers University, Livingston College in 1979 with a BA in Sociology and Communications. My Memories of My Donald We had more than four decades together. My first memory of you was our class at Rutgers University: Intro to Language and Logic with that strange, be speckled professor who was too deep for me. You passed the course and I had to take it over. Ha Ha! I guess my logic was a little off, but not about you. I remember all of the adventures we shared: demonstrating during apartheid, marching for equal justice while pushing Kwesi in a stroller, and just exploring different places of the world. You introduced me to Jamaican culture. I remember my first time eating ackee and salt fish. I thought it looked like scrambled eggs. When I tasted it, it was love at first bite. My favorite spot was Negril because it was simply paradise. We enjoyed it long before all-inclusive hotels. We had comical debates about patois, especially plurals. I asked you why you refer to feet as “foot dem” or the silent “h” at the beginning of some words. A “Yankee” actually turned me on to Bob Marley and Reggae. We were so fortunate to attend 2 or 3 of his concerts. What an honor! He is still one of my favorites. We also saw Peter Tosh and listened to Jimmy Cliff, Beres Hammond, Jacob Miller, Marcia Griffith, and others. I loved our 3-week trip to West Africa. You really impressed me with your high school French when you tried to explain my occupation to a scary, armed border guard when we entered Togo or Benin. I could not ask for a better father for Kwesi and Khary. I always prayed that we did not split up while they were young because I knew we would be two, crazy kidnapping parents. I knew you loved them as much as I did. It pained me greatly to watch the deterioration of your body and mind over these past five years. You fought so hard. I love you and I will miss my traveling buddy. Love, Miss P. Our Memories of Our Dad Over the past week, I have heard countless stories about my father. Stories of him as a loyal friend, cherished son, committed husband and a fun brother-in-law. From those stories, it is obvious that my father was an incredible man. But for me, my father was more than all of that. He was my real-life superhero. As I look back through pictures and sift through memories, the consistent thing I remember, and I feel in my soul was how much he loved us. We never had to question it, and he never had a problem showing it in his own way. My dad was not a loud person who would scream I love you from a megaphone. My dad was the person who would PROUDLY fix me porridge before every game because that one time he did it, I hit a homerun. I remember the pride on his face when he would watch me play, and how happy he was just to watch me enjoy something I do. The fact that he could help me be better or help me enjoy it more was what he lived for, in my view. As I begin my journey into fatherhood with my two boys, I have so much more respect for him than I could have imagined possible. I did not think I could respect this man more than I already have, because as far as fathers go and as people go, there was not another person on this planet I respect more. I am so grateful that he got to meet my pride and joy. Even in his illness, when he met my boys, he told my mother “They are handsome, just like me.” I love you dad. I miss you so much. I wish you had more time with us, but I know you’re not sick anymore. You can look over us all with a clear head. I hope that I continue to make you proud and I hope that you watch over us with the same pride that you had when you were with us. Kwesi Hard working, loving, gentle, friendly, polite, and selfless are who my father was. He was also one of the most loyal friends. I knew my father was more than a loving father; he was also a dutiful son, helping out his mother and always being there for her. My father was more than a parent to me. He was my friend, a hero, and an inspiration. My brother and I loved him and we knew he loved us equally. He would go out of his way to fix any food for us and even in times of discipline, he showed his care towards us. We knew that even though he was a nice guy all around, we should not test his patience. One of my fondest memories of my dad is competing with each other in bowling, trying to beat each other in a best of three. If one of us won the first two sets, the other tried to get that one win in the third set so the game wouldn’t be completely one-sided. Whether we won, lost or tied, we congratulated each other for knocking all the pins down. When we were victorious, we were humble, and in defeat, we took our losses with grace and dignity. As long as we had fun, nothing else mattered. Thank you, Dad, for everything you’ve given me. You were more than just a father; you were a superhero to me. As an adult, I still see you that way. Even though you may not be beside me, I will continue to live on and make you proud. I love you Dad. Khary My Memories of My Big Brother Although he was 8 years older than me, Donald never made me feel like I was a bother. He would always spend time with me. He was very mischievous and funny— a prankster at home and a prefect at school! Sometimes when I was little, he would snatch a forkful of my meals or take a bite of my chocolate if I held it carelessly. He knew that he would most likely end up getting my whole chocolate bar after he sneaked a bite because I would have a fit, throw it down, and say I did not want it anymore. He would say, “Ok,” and then take the rest of it and eat it! It took me quite some time to figure out his agenda. Mama always talked about how, when I was about 6 years old, I would often forget my lunch money, and Donald would bring it to me at my elementary school. He was a member of the Jamaica Cadet Force while he was in high school at Kingston College. He was wearing his cadet uniform the first time he appeared at my school to drop off my lunch money. I was so surprised and excited to see him! All the children were excited when he entered the school, and I got to proudly introduce Donald as “my soldier brother”. I felt like such a star that day! Mama did not know that after that day I would purposefully “forget” my lunch money sometimes so that Donald could bring it to me! I could go on and on, but I will end with this prank he played on me when I first came to the US at age 10 and saw a washing machine for the first time. I asked Donald what that contraption was, and with a straight face, he told me it was a thing to wash my hair in. When I looked bewildered, he started laughing endlessly. Everyone who knew my brother should still be able to hear his laughter now. Donald was one of the smartest and kindest people I have ever known. He would go out of his way to help everyone. Rest in Peace my dear brother, our Jelani awaits you. Send me a sign when you have found each other. My love for you will never die. Your Little Sister, Patsy My Memories of My Cousin/My Brother/My Friend Donald had a deep love and loyalty to Jamaica and the friends and neighborhoods where he grew up. Even after probably more than 40 years, he would visit those often now very dangerous neighborhoods when he returned. He had a love of the game of Scrabble about which he was extremely competitive. He was very ticklish. You did not even have to actually touch him, just say the word while moving towards him would cause a reaction of him scrunching up his arms and neck, almost like a turtle, while laughing uncontrollably. He also loved to travel. Lastly, I have never known Donald to lose his temper. He was always laid back. Dianne points out that he loved Jamaican salt fish fritters. It is like I have lost my brother. Paula, you stood by him like a Stalwart - stay strong! Cousin Mike, Dianne and the Family. “May Donald rest peacefully. He earned the right.” Errol My Memories of My Brother-in-Law Donald enjoyed hanging out with his older brother Mikey from childhood to adulthood. He was his sister Althea's, (aka Twiggy) protector when they were children. Even throughout his progressive illness, he could always tell you his mother's name when asked. He loved his mother dearly and he so loved his wife and children beyond words. He also loved his extended family dearly. Whenever we saw each other, even in sickness he would light up in my (Larry) presence, which touched me deeply. He was a loyal friend and he enjoyed playing soccer, dominos and Ludi (Ludo) with them. Donald was a strong swimmer and enjoyed the ocean immensely. One of the favorite stories he told was about a funny incident he had in Florida. At the time he still had his dreads and went for a swim in the ocean. When he resurfaced a little girl saw him coming up out of the water and ran to her mother and said, "Mama look, there's Jesus coming out of the water". Donald got a kick out of telling that story!!! Love, Larry Some of my fondest memories were visiting Paula and Donald in Miami, Florida when I was in college. $88 dollars and a backpack would allow me a flight down through People’s Express Airlines. Donald would often pick me up from the airport. We would stop at one of the local stores on our way to the house. He had introduced me to Ting, the Jamaican grapefruit drink and would always buy me one when I visited. Donald inspired my Gmail account name – Ezryder1990@gmail.com. When I would call the house and he picked up, he would say, “Heeey……giddy up! It’s EZ Ryder!” I would then reply, “Heeey…Mister Mitch-EL”! Love and miss you, Erica My pet name for Donald was “Chubaka” because of his grizzly beard. When Erica and I used to visit Paula and Donald in Miami when I was a teenager, we always enjoyed going to the beach. Donald would always call us, “Blazing Babes”! For our family vacation in Florida in July 2019 we had rented a house that had a game room that had a ping pong table. Even though Donald’s health had really declined at this point, he still remembered how to play ping pong...and beat me bad and was spiking the ball! He had the nerve to laugh at me while doing it. There was another time he found a ball and started doing some fancy footwork like he was playing soccer. His recall was amazing. Love you Chubaka, Tammy My Memories of My Uncle I always think of Uncle Donald as a pillar. He went out of his way to help everyone in the family—he did it with grace and with his sense of humor intact. It never seemed like a burden or a stressor. And from a kid’s perspective, he was the kind of adult who did not get easily agitated with you. He was patient, kind, and funny. I know he worked hard, and he must have been as tired as everyone else, but he was never quick to anger. Being around Uncle Donald was just like being at home— listening to music and laughing. He just made you feel comfortable. Love, Najwa Me and Uncle Donald watching sports downstairs on the couch before dinner time. Really enjoying our time together and talking. His hugs were great. Love, Taryn When we were down in Florida on family vacation my mom and I were helping him get into the pool and he refused to put his feet in. We kept asking him if he wanted to get in and he just replied with a chuckle. I think he knew that we were struggling but his continuous laughter made us stop and laugh along with him. Love, Maya Acknowledgements I want to thank my brothers and sisters for always being there for me. Our last trip was in 2019, and the only reason why I went was because all of you supported me and had my back. Thanks for the many prayers, calls, and coming to the house to stay with Donald as his disease progressed. Thank you, Teddy, Sharon, Larry, Patsy, Narku, Benta and so many others. Thank you, Bridget, for always making Donald laugh by threatening to replace me with two, young Nigerian women. Thank you Kwesi and Khary for being caring and loving sons to your father and me. It has been so difficult for both of you, but you always hung in there. Thank you Kwesi and Ashley for giving me a double blessing, Amir and Asani.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

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Donald Keith Mitchell

1949 - 2021

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