Doris Eleanor Mitchell
June 29, 1929-Sept. 9, 2012
Pleasanton, California

Doris Eleanor Mitchell, 83, passed away peacefully Sunday Sept. 9 surrounded by family. She was born June 29, 1929, in Oakland, Calif. She grew up in Oakland and graduated from Oakland High School. After graduation with a degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University, she was employed as a social worker for Alameda County. She met her future husband Phil K. Mitchell through a friend and co-worker, Doreen Mitchell, who is married to Phil's brother. Doris and Phil were married on April 19, 1958. While her husband served in the United States Air Force, the couple moved to various duty locations, including Ohio, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. The couple settled down in Pleasanton, where they raised their three children, after her husband?s military retirement. They moved to Red Wing, Minn. in 2010 to be closer to their son Don and his family. Doris enjoyed traveling with her husband and family. Her favorite destinations included Mendocino, Lake Tahoe, and especially Carmel, where she and Phil honeymooned. Doris and Phil were charter members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Doris treasured her family and will always be remembered for her generous spirit and her love of conversation with family and friends. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Phil of Red Wing, Minn.; two sons, James (Melinda) Mitchell of Richland, Wash. and Donald (Therese) Mitchell of Red Wing, Minn; daughter, Jeanne (Allen) Spalding of Sanford Mich., five grandchildren, Scott and Andrew Mitchell and Philip, Theodore, and Peter Mitchell, and two step-grandchildren, Kirsten & Tyler Spalding. She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard M. and Myra James, and her brothers, Richard H. James and Robert Carey.