Obituary of Joseph Louis Mitchell

Joseph Louis Mitchell, a 43-year resident of New Canaan, CT, died June 25, 2021 at Fairfield County House, Stamford, CT.  He was 86.   Born and raised in Stamford to Vincent and Grace Mitchell, he was predeceased by his siblings Vincent Mitchell, Lillian Schaumburg, Roberta Davies, and Lucille DeLuca.

Besides building and designing contemporary homes in Stamford and Greenwich, Joe continued to work as a projectionist and stagehand at the Palace, Avon, and Darien Dinner Theatres.  When the movie industry was in the area, he worked behind the scenes on films such as “The Swimmer” and TV commercials. He was a member of Local 449 IATSE. 

A great lover of the outdoors, Joe enjoyed spending time fishing, hunting, gardening, working on his cars, and walking in the woods where he could be close to nature. A wonderful cook, he loved sharing his homemade ice cream, Christmas fruit cakes, and jams and jellies. His lasagna with meatballs and Easter omelette were the best!  Joe loved his dogs who were his constant companions and part of the family.  He had a passion for cars and owned a number of special ones.  “Jaguar Joe” could be seen driving around town in his ‘71 XKE red roadster with the top down, sometimes with his Weimaraner, Heather.  His 1940 red Mercury convertible was a special car that he loved driving also.  Joe’s greatest joy was being a “Stay at Home Dad” for his son when it was not in vogue.  He loved spending time with Christopher while doing activities such as panning for gold, beekeeping, maple syrup making, hunting for Herkimer diamonds, fishing, clamming, or whatever interest his son had in learning.  Often Joe could be found hanging out at Zumbach’s with his wife, Kathy, talking cars with the “Caffeine & Carburetors” gang and meeting new people.  Joe had a winning personality, a kind heart, and a big smile. He will be missed, but his memories will be cherished.

Joe is survived by his devoted caregiver and loving wife of 48 years, Kathleen Barndt Mitchell, and his son, Christopher Joseph Mitchell. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Fairfield County Hospice  House, One Den Rd, Stamford, CT 06902 or Bennett Cancer Center, One Hospital Plaza, Stamford, CT 06902.  We wish to thank FCH and Bennett for their outstanding care given during his time associated with them.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, 21 Cherry St, New Canaan on  Wednesday, July 14, 2021 with visitation at 9:30 a.m. and the mass at 10:30.