Richard Sibley Mitchell Phd.

Richard Sibley Mitchell entered this world on September 19, 1932. On the 12th day of the 12th month at 12:00 noon, 2022, age 90, he departed this earth for his heavenly home.

Richard was born in Barnsdall, OK., the youngest child of Guy Sibley Mitchell and Velma Linza (Lewis) Mitchell. Although christened as Richard, to his friends and family he was always known as Dick. He graduated from high school in El Dorado Arkansas in 1950 and enlisted in the US Air Force the same year. He was honorably discharged in 1954 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

After his military service Dick attended Austin College in Texas, where he completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry. He then came to Oklahoma to begin work towards his master’s degree. It was during this time that he met Ellen Houston and her two young daughters. He and Ellen were married May 29, 1959, and at 27 years old he acquired a ready-made family. Dick became a father to the two small girls in every important sense of the word.

The family moved to Eldorado Arkansas in 1959 where he worked for two years for Monsanto Chemical Co. In 1961, Dick and Ellen made the decision that he would return to the university to complete his education. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in August 1964. The family moved to Jonesboro Arkansas, where he taught chemistry at Arkansas State University. He was passionate about education, kept regular office hours outside of formal class time and served as advisor to hundreds of students over his 33-year career. He retired in 1997.

Dick was a man of faith. He served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Jonesboro and later became a leader and head elder in the faith community of Trinity Church. They later attended Awaken Church.

In 1971, Dick and Ellen received a wonderful surprise when they learned that their daughter Leslie was on her way. The family was complete when son Steven was born twenty-one months later in 1972.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents Guy and Velma, stepmother Jessamine, sister Alto Pauline (Mitch) Boggess, brother-in-law Al Boggess, brother Kenneth Eugene Mitchell, sister-in-law Delores Mitchell, and nephew John Boggess. He is survived by his wife Ellen, daughters Carol Griffin (David), Susan Vernon, and Leslie Karen Minick (David), and son Steven Richard Mitchell (Lisa). He leaves 10 wonderful grandchildren: Mitchell Bruce Taylor, Mark Howard Taylor, Leah Ellen Taylor, Chloe Amanda Mitchell, Lydia Sarah Mitchell, Elyse Nichole Mitchell, Kayla Jane Minick, Daniel Lavon Minick, Bryan Foster (Tracy) and Aaron Griffin (Mary).

A memorial service will be held at Griffin-Leggett Funeral Home, 1751 Dave Ward Drive, Conway, Arkansas, at 2:00 pm December 20, 2022. In lieu of flowers the family requests that Dick’s memory be honored with a gift to The Alumni Association of Austin College https://www.austincollege.edu/alumni/.