Mikey Mitchell

Mike Leon Mitchell, 75, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2025, surrounded by family, following a long illness. He is preceded in death by his father Leroy. Survivors include his wife, Joanne (Riedel); his mother Mary Lou Mitchell of Springfield, Missouri; sister, Carolyn Griffin of Overland Park, Kansas; daughters Shari Lawrence (Ben) of Mission, Kansas and Michelle Vallier of Muskegon, Michigan, and granddaughter Sage Vallier.

Mike was born October 16, 1949, in Hartville, Missouri. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and pursued his higher education at the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he met and married Joanne, his wife of 54 years.

Mike was a lover of science and of music, especially classical and jazz. He was an excellent clarinet player and was first chair in the marching band at the University of Missouri. After considering a career as a musician, he ultimately decided to pursue a career in science.

Upon graduation from The University of Colorado-Boulder, he started a long teaching career at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas, where he and Joanne raised their two girls. Mike was a Chemistry Professor for nearly thirty years before becoming Academic Dean and Vice President of Bethany and other small private colleges, then transitioning to Academic Research, including consulting and software programming.

Mike was an avid hunter and fisherman and loved nothing more than to teach his kids, and everyone else who was interested, about the natural world. He loved spending time out in nature whether it was in the woods, on a lake or pond, or walking a field. He developed hobbies of painting landscapes and of watching You Tube videos of painters he looked up to, as well as hunting and nature exploration videos from places as far as New Zealand and South America.

Mike had a love of cooking and eating and sharing with anyone who would also enjoy spicy foods. He especially enjoyed trying new restaurants, learning and creating new recipes and learning the foods and cultures from all over the world, including from his international colleagues, who embraced Mike’s family and welcomed his children to be shaped by this diversity.

Mike was a lover of science fiction and read hundreds of science fiction novels and enjoyed watching Star Trek with his family. He was an excellent writer and enjoyed writing his own science fiction stories. He also wrote and published his memoir as a gift to his family, especially his granddaughter.

Mike requested cremation and no formal service. There will be no visitation. A small private celebration of life will occur at a later date.

Memorials and notes to the family can be sent to Crick-Christians Funeral Home, 103 N Washington, Lindsborg, KS 67456. Memorials suggested to The National Kidney Foundation, The American Cancer Society, and Lindsborg Community Library.