Frederick Audley Mitchell Sr.
OBITUARY
1919 - 2001
Frederick Audley
Mitchell Sr. was born on 22 February 1919. He was the son of Robert
and Odessa Mitchell (nee Weech). He lived and grew up in Bain Town,
on Finlayson Street, which was once known as Three P’s Corner. Our
father attended the Boys Central School and left school at the age of 14.
He apprenticed as a mechanic at the Board of Works. He was proficient
and efficient as a mechanic, proud of his trade. He told us that
you could always tell a good mechanic by how clean and neat he was.
If the mechanic left a lot of grease and dirt on your car, it told you
what kind of mechanic you were dealing with.
He worked
on projects in Lyford Cay and then joined the Kelly Motor Company, the
Ford dealership on Bay Street near what is now the Harbour Moon Hotel.
He worked at Malcolm’s Garage on Bay Street, Bay Street Garage, ABC Motors
and Island Motors. One of our proudest moments was when the picture that
we use in this booklet appeared in the press announcing his appointment
as Service Manager of ABC Motors in 1968. He ended his career as
a Superintendent first at the Ministry of Works and then at the Ministry
of Health in 1989.
He was
meticulous and intent on cleanliness almost to a fault. He brought
that to his work as a mechanic but also to his work in his yard at home.
In his later years at 99 Collins Avenue, he would be seen outside in the
yard, all day into the late hours of the night trimming and raking and
picking up trash. He could never understand or accept the contemporary
standards of trash and paper and unkempt lawns and trees.
Even
when he left 99 Collins Avenue for his new abode in Armstrong Street and
he could no longer physically cope with cleaning any yard or room, he had
to be admonished for attempting to clean the house and the surrounding
yard. He felt that there was always something left undone.
As a
father, he was absolutely indulgent, particularly to the younger ones and
the girls. He had a stern countenance but beneath it all, a soft
interior. He was deeply saddened by events relating to our younger
brother but comforted himself once he had seen him that he would learn
the right lessons from his travail.
On 4th
February1951, he married Lilla Angelina Forde. She predeceased him
on 4 May 1999. They were persons of modest means who by honesty and hard
work created a secure home for themselves and their children. They
established their home in the Centreville community in 1953 shortly before
Fred Jr. was born. They had five children, all of whom they educated
to the level of University and each of whom has their own trade or profession.
Our
parents were married in Holy Spirit Anglican Church in Chippingham and
though our father was christened and raised in St. Agnes, after his marriage,
he became a faithful member at Holy Spirit until his death. He cherished
the love of the Holy Spirit community but nurtured as he was in St. Agnes
he asked for his funeral service to be held there.
We are
especially proud of the fact that he died peacefully in his bed. Mercifully,
his illness and discomfort was brief. He was comfortable and satisfied.
He died surrounded by his priest and his son Ian and the children on the
way, quietly and without pain on 23 May 2001 in the mid morning.
He is survived by his five children Senator Fred Mitchell Jr., Robert Ian
Mitchell, Carla Mitchell-Seymour, Matthew Mitchell, Marva Mitchell, his
sister Ruth Agnes Granger; his grandchildren Dominic, Demont, Denair, Duran,
Destinee and Nicholas Mitchell; Kyle and Zoe Clarke; Carlton and Celine
Seymour. He is also survived by the members of the Johnson family
of Hay Street particularly his contemporaries Basil, Betty and Diana, his
good friends Sir Clement T. Maynard and John Crawley, other relatives and
friends including Claudette Bannister and Brandino Brown.
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