Owen Jay Mitchell

Owen Jay Mitchell OGDEN – Owen Jay Mitchell, 85, died Saturday, February 6, 2010 at McKay-Dee Hospital from complications related to a deep brain aneurism. O. Jay was born October 8, 1924 in Pennville, Indiana, the first of three sons of Owen Dewey and Rosemond E. Mitchell. While still a child, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan where he grew up and attended Detroit Cass Technical High School. While still a very young man, he left school to join the U.S. Army and he participated in the following European campaigns of World War II: Southern France, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was discharged in October of 1945 and returned home to complete his high school education at Cass under the Veterans program. He subsequently re-enlisted in the Army and later elected to go with the newly formed Air Force. During his military career, he was fortunate to travel throughout the United States, Europe, and portions of the Pacific. He remained in the Air Force until his retirement in 1963. Upon his military retirement, he immediately began working for the State of Florida in the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as a License and Registration Inspector. He subsequently retired again in 1983. O. Jay took on the challenge of a lifetime, when at age 36 and previously being a confirmed bachelor, he married the widow Castle P. Starling. He obtained an immediate family with his marriage as Castle had two daughters in their early teens. While not initially comfortable with the role of “Dad”, he provided well for his small family and did his best to fulfill this role. During their marriage, the family lived in Sumter, South Carolina and Homestead, Florida. In 1983, he and Castle moved to Niceville, Florida as part of a job transfer and later retired there. In 1993, he and Castle moved to Ogden, Utah to be closer to the “the girls.” O. Jay was an extremely curious man and loved the Discovery and the History Channels. In addition, he was an accomplished photographer and a model train enthusiast. At the age of 73, he ventured into the world of computers and the internet and never looked back. O. Jay was a Master Mason and a member of the Redford-Metropolitan Lodge 152 of the Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan for 64 years. In addition, he was a life member of the York Rite Bodies of South Carolina, Beulah Chapter. He is survived by two daughters, Linda S. Furber and Phyllis S. Linale, both of Ogden, UT; one granddaughter, Antoinette (George) Valent-Sprunt, Riverdale, UT; three great-grandchildren, and one great-great-granddaughter. He is also survived by two brothers, John E. Mitchell, Ormond Beach, FL; and James A. Mitchell, Elkton, FL. He was preceded in death by his father and mother. His wife Castle died in April of 2007. He never quite recovered from her loss. We shall miss him very much. Graveside services will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd. Friends may call at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd., on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday 2 to 2:30 p.m. Send condolences to the family at: www.lindquistmortuary.com