Virginia Lee Mitchell

September 26, 1941 - January 1, 2019

Virginia Lee Mitchell was born September 26, 1941, in La Junta to Stewart G. and Nona Z. Smith. She was the fourth of five children. Her early years were spent at Ft. Lyon since her dad was a butcher at the Fort. She always talked about all the fun they had roller skating, riding bikes and swimming. Those we happy times for her.

Virginia graduated from Bent County High School and attended Otero Junior College where she met D. Tyrone Mitchell. They married on April 21, 1962. Four girls were born to this union; Melynda Sue, Carrie Lynn and twins Dawna Rae and Diana Kae.

Virginia had many jobs during her life time. She worked in cafes, meat processing plants and worked on the family farm south of Haswell. All the while, raising her four girls.

At 50, she decided she needed a change and moved to Manhattan, Kansas, to start her career as a House Mom with the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house at Kansas State. She loved being a House Mom. The sorority girls all called her Mom Mitchell. Her daughters would always joke that raising four girls wasn’t challenging enough. Apparently, she preferred her girls 75 at a time!

Virginia retired in 2010 and moved to Pueblo. Her health began to fail, and she moved to Prairie Pines and then to Kiowa County Extended Care Unit in Eads. She passed away peacefully with her girls by her side January 1, 2019.

She was preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, S. Gordon Smith; and her previous husband D. Tyrone Mitchell.

She is survived by her sisters Annita Christensen of Lincoln, Nebraska and Susan (Don) Seal of Kingman, Arizona; brother George (Cecilia) Smith of Providence, Rhode Island ; her daughters, Melynda (Rod) Uy of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Carrie (John) Stavely of Pueblo West, Dawna (Kip) Peck of Eads, and Diana (Dick) Sniff of Wiley; nine grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; five great grandchildren and six step-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the Southwest Church of Christ; 1635 S. Pueblo Blvd, Pueblo, CO  81005. Private family committal services will be held in the Bent County Cemetery in Las Animas.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brown Funeral Home.

Friends and family may sign the guest book and offer condolences at www.brownfuneraldirectors.com