Alex Mitchell

Alex Mitchell passed away on November 6, 2017, at the age of 93. He was born on October 6, 1924, in Butte, Montana, the son of Andrew and Catina Mitchell who were born in Greece. He is survived by his children, Ann (Gregory) Hambly, Mike (Barbara) Mitchell; grandchildren, Eric Hambly, Randy Mitchell, Trevor Mitchell, Stephanie (Matt) Mies; great-granddaughters, Madelyn and Sophia Mies; sister-in-law, Mona Mitchell and brother-in-law, James Constantino. Alex was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn; his parents, Andrew and Catina; his brother, Lucas (Luke) Mitchell; and his sisters, Irene Drikas and Martha Robbins.

As a young boy, Alex enjoyed spending many summers on his grandparents’ farm. Following his graduation from Butte High School in May, 1942, Alex worked for the Great Northern Railroad and Anaconda Copper Mining Company. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1944, where he attended Medical Corp School and served his country as a Medical Corpsman at the US Naval Hospital in Farragut, Idaho, and on board the USS Thomas Jefferson. After completing his service with the Navy in 1946, Alex relocated to southern California, where he began what was to become a 40-year career working for the Earle M. Jorgensen Steel Company in Lynwood, California.

In 1953 while attending the Feast of the Epiphany at the Greek Orthodox Church in Long Beach, Alex saw a beautiful young woman dancing. She was dressed in the traditional Greek Amalia costume. One year later, at the same celebration, he saw the young woman again. An introduction was arranged, and Alex asked Evelyn Hatzopoulos for a date. That date took place on Valentine’s Day, 1954. At the end of their first date, and having been in love with Evelyn before he even knew her name, Alex proposed and Evelyn accepted his proposal. Alex and Evelyn married on August 29, 1954. The young couple began their lives together in their home on Avenue C in Redondo Beach. They raised two children, Ann, born in 1955, and Mike, born in 1959. One of Alex’s greatest enjoyments in life was being a father. He and Evelyn and the family looked forward to their annual Las Vegas vacation, summer volleyball on the beach at Knob Hill and enjoying Mike’s baseball games at Sunset Little League. Alex acted as an umpire, coach, and manager during Mike’s years at Sunset.
Alex and Evelyn shared life together in their Avenue C home for 62 years until Evelyn’s passing earlier this year in February. Together, Alex and Evelyn courageously and privately, fought Evelyn’s six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Alex suffered a broken heart on the day of Evelyn’s passing and never recovered.

Our family wishes to express our deepest gratitude to Bingoo Villanueva and his caregiving team from Health-Care Advocates, especially, Jean, Marcen, Merly, Shan, Max and Mel. We also extend our sincere appreciation to Torrance Memorial Hospice and to Caring House, a home dedicated to end-of-life care in Torrance.

A funeral service will be held at 10am on Friday, November 10, 2017, at The Historic Church of Green Hills Memorial Park.