Lillie Mae Mitchell, 86, of Sun City, Ariz., died April 12, 2024, after a long illness. Mrs. Mitchell was a graduate of Douglas High School in Festus. She was a homemaker and military wife. She was Catholic and devoted her studies and life profession to the Western Dominican Laity Third Order at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Benicia, Calif., during the 1990s. While residing in California, she worked as a special friend for grade school students in need of extra attention for the Vallejo Unified School District. In 2005, she survived the diagnosis of and treatment for breast cancer. She loved to read and had developed a library collection of over 300 books by the time she was 82 years old. She enjoyed traveling, going on road trips and cruises and spending time with family. Born Dec. 1, 1937, in Marston, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Flavis (Henderson) Dukes.
She is survived by her husband: Charles A. Mitchell Sr. of Sun City, Ariz.; seven children: Steven J. Mitchell of Boerne, Texas, Cynthia G. Mitchell of Ashland, Va., Kenneth W. Mitchell of Overland Park, Kan., Vincent B. Mitchell of Surprise, Ariz., Phillip B. Mitchell of Dunwoody, Ga., Marcia L. Ecalnea of Albuquerque, N.M., and Charles A. Mitchell Jr. of Kuwait City, Kuwait; two sisters: Alva Jane Brock of Raleigh, N.C., and Iris Blanks of Stafford, Va.; a brother: Felix Dukes of Lenexa, Texas; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and many other family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by two brothers: Melvin Dukes of Tucson, Ariz. and Theodore Barran of Las Vegas, Nev.; two sisters: Loretta Dukes of St. Louis and Charlene Brown of O’Fallon; and two granddaughters: Domineque J. Mitchell-Carrillo of Vallejo, Calif., and Demetria M. Mitchell-Smith of Granger, Ind.
Memorial Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 16, at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church, 5800 North Del Webb Blvd., in Sun City, Ariz. Burial ceremony will follow at 12:30 p.m. in the National Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 North Cave Creek Road, in Phoenix, Ariz. A reception will follow. Memorials may be made to the family through Menke Funeral Home, 12420 N. 103rd Ave., in Sun City, Ariz., 85351. Arrangements are under the direction of Menke Funeral Home.