Gregory Stuart “Mitch” Mitchell, 70, of Essex Junction, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2024, at McClure Miller Respite House following a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on August 19, 1954, in Colchester, Vt., son of the late Everett and Gwendolyn (Cheney) Mitchell.
Mitch grew up in South Burlington, graduating from South Burlington High School in 1972 — a simple life filled with Patrick Street neighborhood fun such as stickball in the street, made-up games in the backyard and perfecting the fadeaway jumper in basketball — due to many blocked shots in his face from older and taller kids and siblings. Once Mitch had his two sons, he could be the shot blocker, and they, too, learned the fadeaway! Mitch was always a sports enthusiast and loved playing most any sport. Basketball and baseball were passions growing up and during his school years and later in many adult leagues. Soccer began his senior year in high school, and amazingly he earned a soccer scholarship after just playing the one year. He married the love of his life, the former Kate Willey, in 1988.
Mitch’s college journey was filled with sports scholarships. He attended the University of Tampa with a full baseball scholarship and Champlain College with a soccer scholarship, graduating with an associate’s degree in business administration. Mitch also attended North Adams State College, where he played soccer, and then finished up his degree with a BS in business admin at Trinity College in 1986, taking a leave of absence from work to finish his degree.
His extensive career began in 1976 when he began working in law enforcement with the Winooski Police Department. From there he went to the Burlington International Airport Police, and then joined the South Burlington Police Department from 1977 to 1991, where he rose to the position of BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigations) commander. Mitch was a qualified expert in homicide/suicide investigations. In 1991 Mitch took his police skills to the banking industry as director of security for Bank of Boston. He continued in the security role with KeyBank and then TD Bank through 2008, when he took an early retirement. He was one of three financial intelligence leaders for KeyBank USA in Cleveland, Ohio, heading the Terrorist Financing & Anti-Money Laundering Unit.
Mitch took up golf in the ’90s, and it quickly became his favorite activity. When he joined Burlington Country Club in 2014, he soaked it all in and made lifelong friends there. Even after leaving in 2022, those friendships and amazing golf memories remained. He proudly won the 2018 BCC President’s Cup, thus making his name on the wall of the clubhouse. He also made and reconnected with many amazing friends after joining Kwiniaska Golf Club in 2023. He was blessed with a great game of golf, never getting frazzled and pulling out great shots just when they were needed. He had the joy of having two holes in one over his career. Spending time on the golf course with his family was one of his most treasured pastimes. Other than spending time with family and sports, he also enjoyed baseball card collecting, a hobby he shared with his sons and nephews when they were young. Being a dad was one of his finest and proudest accomplishments. With the arrival of his granddaughter, Avery, he was so thankful to have found the ultimate joy of being a “Papa,” and oh, what a Papa he was to Avery. They had an incredibly special bond and relationship and one that his family will keep alive with stories and love.
Throughout his life, he remained a sports enthusiast, coaching and volunteering with Essex Little League and Babe Ruth leagues. He loved to golf anytime, anywhere with his favorite partners, Kate and the boys, and all of his fantastic golf pals. The list is long. Once introduced to pickleball and paddle tennis, he loved playing those, too. Mitch could often be seen making a clutch shot between his legs for the point. Mitch was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society Road to Recovery for several years and started driving prior to becoming a cancer patient himself in 2014. He had the ability to relate and empathize with the people he was transporting even more once he recovered and could resume his driving. He enjoyed many vacations with family and friends — always adventurous, the most epic being a three-week trip to Italy in fall 2022 just before he was diagnosed with his second cancer. Mitch was in his element on that trip, biking, hiking and olive harvesting. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Despite his health challenges, Mitch never lost his keen sense of humor or his sense of positivity. When asked recently what he would consider his motto to be, his response was, “Live life to the fullest and focus on the positive.”
Mitch is blessed to be survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Kate Mitchell; son Josh (Jen); granddaughter, Avery; and son Ryan (Micaela), the best family he could ever hope for, with Avery providing needed joy during very tough times. His family also includes in-laws Robert and Sandy Willey, Kimberly Willey (deceased sister-in-law), Giles Willey (brother-in-law), and Laurie Valley (Tom); nieces and nephews Jessica Damon (Kyle), David and Jack Valley (Shannon), and Jordan and Taylor Willey; his siblings, Gary (deceased), Debbie, David (Darlene) and Mark Mitchell; and nieces and nephews Trevor Mitchell (Bonnie), Julia Vining (Eric), Kayla Grout, Mihaela Grout (deceased), and Nathan (Amy), Harrison and Krista Mitchell.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to Mitch’s in-home hospice and respite house team. We could not have done this without you.
Per his wishes, there will be no public visiting hours. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 11 a.m., at St. James Episcopal Church in Essex Junction. A reception will follow at the Farmhouse at Sunset Pond, the Essex Resort & Spa. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be on Zoom as well. Please visit the Worshop page at stjamesvt.org for the link. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to UVM Health Network Home Health & Hospice, 1110 Prim Rd., Colchester, VT, 05446. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.
This article appears in The Winter Preview Issue 2024.