MITCHELL, Bruce Page
Bruce Page Mitchell passed away February 20, 2023, after battling Alzheimer's Disease. He was 77 years old. Born on August 19, 1945, in Pittsfield, MA, he was the son of the late Robert Ernest Mitchell and Vera Mona Page Mitchell.
Bruce attended school in Pittsfield until high school. Due to his parents' divorce, he moved with his mother and sister, Lois Ann (nickname Jodie), to Greenville, New York, where he graduated from Greenville Central High School. He attended State University of New York in Fredonia, NY, from 1964-1968, but left college to enlist in the Air Force in 1968. He served stateside until 1972, obtaining the rank of Sergeant. He trained in ground radio communications and electronic digital data processing, developing an interest in computer technology. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, Bruce moved to Meriden, CT, and worked for Canberra Industries from 1973 to 1983, as a Field Service Engineer, providing and servicing nuclear and X-ray detectors for nuclear power plants and government facilities worldwide, including Saudi Arabia and China. In his spare time, when home, he enjoyed sailing his boat on the waters of Long Island Sound. He also pursued evening studies at Teikyo Post University to finish his degree.
In 1985, after his mother retired and had moved to an active adult living facility in Signal Mountain, TN, and his sister and her husband, Bill were transferred to Georgia, Bruce moved to Georgia to join his sister and his brother-in-law. He worked for AT&T, and then its spin-off, Lucent Technologies, as a network engineer from 1987 to 2001 in Sandy Springs, GA. In 2001, he retired from Lucent Technologies. He started a second career as a Laser Surgical Technician with Laser Ventures in Woodstock, GA, from 2007 until the company was sold to a national company in 2015. He then retired permanently.
In 1987, his sister, Jodie thought her shy brother needed to meet more people and encouraged him to join a singles group. He joined United Singles at Dunwoody United Methodist Church. On a fateful Saturday night, he attended a chili cook-off sponsored by United Singles at one of the member's homes. He needed a way to break the ice with other people, so he wore a uniquely shaped wine glass around his neck that was secured by a leather strap and balanced on his chest, so he could eat and not have to hold a glass in his hand. It also functioned as a conversation starter for him because it was such an unusual looking wine glass. It caught the attention of a lady veterinarian in attendance, Dr. Nelwyn Stone, who became the love of his life. Bruce joined the church within a few months, and they were married at the church on April 6, 1991. They lived with their blended furred and feathered family, Bruce's two dogs, Tika and Big Dog, and Nelwyn's dog, Sandy; her cat, Amanda Leigh; and two birds, Pockets and Mona, at Nelwyn's home in Doraville. They moved the clan to Woodstock, GA in 1999 to be closer to Nelwyn's new job.
Nelwyn encouraged Bruce to go back to college to finish his degree. He started evening classes at Kennesaw State University and transferred his credits back to Teikyo Post University, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1991. They enjoyed attending concerts together, ranging from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to country and rock. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, computer games, board games, and reading the National Geographic from cover to cover each month. He loved spending time with the life-long friends he made at United Singles and Dunwoody United Methodist Church. He also enjoyed building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He will be remembered as a kind, gentle man who was always willing to help a friend, neighbor, stranger, or any of God's creatures, no matter the species!
Bruce and Nelwyn enjoyed traveling and in 1999, visited China to see how much it had changed since Bruce was last there in 1974. From 1988 to 2020, they regularly attended the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida. Bruce loved visiting the conference exhibit hall while Nelwyn was in lectures. He brought home so many souvenirs from the conference, she had to buy him a suitcase in which to haul his treasures home! While in Florida, he also visited with his two aunts, Lois and Edith, of blessed memory, and a cousin in Orlando. He also visited two high school classmates who wintered in Florida to catch up with the news and gossip in Greenville, New York. However, 2020 was the last time Bruce and Nelwyn were able to attend the conference together as his dementia was already taking hold of him, and it became quite evident during the trip to his wife and his friends.
Bruce leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Dr. Nelwyn Stone; his stepbrother, Randy Rounds; sister, Lois Ann Codwise (Bill); and half-sister, Deborah Ann Mitchell; many nieces and nephews; and his beloved pet family, Harley the dog, Alice Catherine the cat, and Rudy the bird. He was predeceased by his father, mother, and half-sister, Dr. Heidi Clara Mitchell, who also battled Alzheimer's disease.
The family would like to thank all of Bruce's caregivers in the Memory Care facility at Legacy Ridge of Woodstock and to the employees of Capstone Hospice for their excellent care while he was living there.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Poole Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 1970 Eagle Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189. Phone 678-932-2097. The family will receive friends at 11:00 AM, and the service will be at 12:00 PM, with reception to follow. Memorials in Bruce's name may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Wounded Warrior Project.
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Funeral Home Information
Poole Funeral Home - Woodstock
1970 Eagle Drive
Woodstock, GA
30189
https://www.poolefuneralhome.net/?utm_campaign=legacytraffic&utm_source=legacy&utm_medium=referral