Louis Wilcox Mitchell Jr.

Louis (Lou) Wilcox Mitchell, Jr., a loving husband, father, grandfather, and consummate dog lover, passed away at age 85 on July 10th, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by his wife and his two grandsons, Alex and Caleb. Louis was born on November 12th, 1939, in Philadelphia, PA, to Reverend Louis Wilcox Mitchell, Sr., and Anne Baker Mitchell. He graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia and then Ursinus College and then got his master's degree at Trenton State.

He met his wife, Jean Leatherman Mitchell, in Ocean Grove, and they later married in 1965. They had 2 sons: Louis Mitchell III (Trip) in 1968 and Christian Mitchell in 1971. They just celebrated 60 wonderful years together on June 26th. His life revolved around Ocean Grove, in both work and play.

One of his first jobs was as a lifeguard at age 15, in which he became the Captain of South End in his early 20s, where he would eventually oversee his own children running around in the surf.

He was a devoted member of St. Paul’s Methodist Church for 60 years, where he also was an active choir member. He sat near his good friend, Herman Brown, for years—which was probably not the best idea because they often made each other laugh at inopportune times.

A talented musician who played timpani and drums, he played with Harry Eichhorn’s Ocean Grove Summer Band in the Pavilion for many summers from the early 1960s until the early 2000s.

Lou was a Physics teacher for 35 years, with the majority of those taught at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, and he was also the math and science coordinator in his later years there. He had many fond stories about his teaching

experiences and could still recall the names of his favorite students. He was an usher at the Ocean Grove Auditorium for over 50 years, as well as singing in the Auditorium Choir since the age of 14.

Lou served as a volunteer fireman with the E.H. Stokes Fire Company in Ocean Grove for over 60 years and was the Fire Chief in 1980, as well as a Captain of the Ocean Grove First Aid Squad. He loved all the social events, especially those involving food (he loved to eat), and these people became his lifelong friends.

He was a valued member of the Ocean Grove community and loved spending his summers in the tent with his loving wife for the past 20 years. Lou loved the “porch life”... sitting for hours reading, drinking coffee, doing sudoku, and talking to passers-by, as well as laughing with his neighbors. He was so happy when his grandson, Caleb, moved into town and could visit him daily.

He could often be found on his front porch reading his favorite detective novels (although in reality he was often just napping and pretending to read). But the highlight of his tent time was petting every dog who walked by and giving them a treat. The local dogs all knew Pop-Pop Mitchell and would make a beeline to his tent and his treasure trove of treats. He loved those dogs as much as he hated the squirrels that ate through his garbage cans.

Lou was a big kid at heart and absolutely loved Disney World. He looked forward to their yearly vacations there and planned out each event months in advance. He loved it when his family members could join them on these trips and accompanied them on every amusement ride. He especially loved the Tower of Terror where he would place a dime on his grandsons’ knees before the ride dropped, so that they could see the coin float in the air as they plummeted down. He was showing his grandkids physics in action, always the teacher.

He was an avid photographer, and he shared this love with his grandson Noah, who would go with him on photography field trips to local nature preserves.

He loved both his boys, their wives, and all his grandchildren, and he was so proud of them. Pop would often regale visitors with stories of their antics. (These are Mitchell boys, of course, so there were lots of shenanigans.)

Louis was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, David Mitchell, and his nephews, Luke Mitchell and John Leatherman.

He is survived by his loving wife, Jean Mitchell; his sons and their families, Trip and Sasha Mitchell of Asheville, North Carolina, and their three sons: Elliot, Alex, and Nathan Mitchell; and Chris and Jennifer Mitchell of Howell, NJ, and their two sons: Caleb

and Noah Mitchell.

Lou loved his family, his church, his hometown of Ocean Grove... and his own cooking (which he often loved to praise). He will be missed by all who knew him. Please pet a dog in his honor today.

Family, friends, and loved ones are invited to a Celebration of Life on Wednesday, July 23rd, at St. Paul’s Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 9 to 11, with a service at 11 am. Repast to follow at noon downstairs in Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (80 Embury Ave, OG, NJ 07756)

and/or Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Auditorium Choir (54 Pitman Avenue, OG, NJ 07756)

Services are entrusted to Jersey Shore Cremation Service, 43 Taylor Avenue, Manasquan, NJ.

Pop’s Favorite Bible Verse:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our

Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39