Ronald Russell Mitchell

Ron is survived by his wife of 61 years, Carol; sons, Robert (Jane) and Jeffrey (Katherine) of Durham; 5 grandchildren, Emily (Drew), Anna (Grant), Elizabeth (Kenneth), Lauren (Logan) and Christopher (Camryn); two great granddaughters, Molly and Audrey, and soon to be a third great granddaughter at the end of September; and his brother, Craig of Durham.

Ron graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School, the University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign with a degree in Civil Engineering, and he received his MBA from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

He worked for Illinois Bell in Peoria and Urbana, IL. He worked for a civil engineering firm in St. Louis while attending evening classes for his MBA, while also building a house in Collinsville, IL along with Carol and Robbie and Jeff, ages 7 and 4. The basement was excavated and the rest was done by family and friends. Carol’s dad, a former plumber, did all the plumbing. Ron’s dad worked in commercial construction and also helped. Craig and many friends helped too. It was sort of a barn raising. Carol took her list for the day and loaded the boys in the truck all summer and picked up supplies. Carol and her mother brought supper every evening. It was amazing how quickly the house was completed. As the time neared for the final inspection, two friends, Roger and Bill, who had connections at the County, were able to get an official condemned sign and placed it in a prominent place. They hid and waited for Ron. He panicked and about had a heart attack, but afterward, they all had a good laugh and never let him forget it.

Upon completion of his MBA, Ron was hired by GTE (now Verizon) in Durham. A ski boat was purchased, and the family began camping and boating on weekends at Kerr Lake. Ron and family were members of Grace Lutheran Church in Durham. Ron was co-chairman of the large addition to the church.

Ron and Carol moved to Irving, Texas with GTE where he was Director of Marketing. Upon returning to North Carolina, Ron and Carol built another house - this one in Apex and this time Ron, Carol, and Jeff built from scratch, but with some hired help this time. When it was time to downsize, Ron and Carol moved to Heritage Pines in Cary.

Ron was an excellent photographer and quickly became the Heritage Pines photographer for clubhouse activities. He took many photography trips and he printed, matted, and framed his pictures.

In addition to photography and house building, Ron built furniture. He would sketch out his ideas and build. He also put in a slalom course each summer for Robbie to practice for water ski tournaments. He spent many hours driving the boat for skiers.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service for Ron at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 100 West Lochmere Drive, Cary, NC on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 11 AM, with a reception following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Resurrection Lutheran Church, 100 Lochmere Drive, Cary NC 27518 or AuthoraCare Hospice, 914 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington, NC 27215.