William H. Mitchell

September 29, 1946 - October 24, 2017

William Henry Mitchell was born September 29, 1946 to E.C. & Lois Collins Mitchell, the youngest of seven children. He passed away at 71 at The Oaks in Shreveport, LA on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 from Alzheimer’s. He leaves behind an incredible legacy.

That legacy included a big family. He married Nancy Raiford, the love of his life, 35 years ago and together they multiplied! Children include Leslie Kroeger and husband Chad of Stuart, FL, James and wife Nina of Franklin, TN, Jonathan and wife Karla of Los Angeles, CA, Joshua and wife Hallie of Franklin, TN, Jarred of Nashville, TN, Audra of Shreveport, LA, Jordan of Murfreesboro, TN, Arianna of Shreveport, LA and three boys still at home Justus, Joel and Jaden of Bossier City. He was also a proud granddad to eight. They are Taylor and Jake Kroeger, Jameson and Siena Mitchell, Eli Mitchell and Caitlyn, Lucy and Liam Mitchell. Mitch also dearly loved his sister-in-law, Patti Raiford Lann who helped care for him during his illness.

He was preceded in death by siblings Jerome and Carolyn. He is survived by sisters Lavonne of Shreveport, Linda of Alexandria, Velora of Hornbeck; brother Elton (Pat) of Santa Fe, TN, sister-in-law Theda (Jerome) of Mansfield and many nieces and nephews.

Mitch was born and raised in Many, LA, and received a B.S. in Zoology and a MBA, both from NSU. He was an accomplished singer and songwriter. He had his first hit single while still in high school and charted with Hey Baby and I’ll Never. His never boring career led him to two movie rolls, Mountain Top Motel Massacre (1982) and Aurora Encounter (1985). Mitch spent many years in sales and consulting in the automotive industry. He also served as a Captain for the United States Army Reserve for over ten years.

One of the final projects he worked on was creating and directing a television series that aired on PBS from 2009-2014 called Legends and Lyrics. It was a tremendous accomplishment of which he was very proud. He was never afraid to chase his dreams and follow his passions. He had a larger than life personality that each one of his children inherited a part of.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 4th at 2:00 PM at Fly Church of the Nazarene in Santa Fe with James Lunsford and Tony Langton officiating. Burial will follow in Santa Fe Cemetery with military honors provided by the Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. A visitation will be held on Friday, November 3rd from 5:30 - 8:30 PM at the church. Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Pallbearers will be his sons: James, Jonathan, Joshua, Jarred, Jordan, Justus, Joel and Jaden.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.missionvoicenetwork.org or www.eternalfamilyproject.org