Apr 24, 2020

Deanna Mitchell | 1941 - 2020 |

Posted Apr 24, 2020 9:29 PM

Deanna A. Mitchell, 78, of Belton, Mo., passed away April 21, 2020.

Deanna was born May 8, 1941, in Hutchinson, Kan., to C. Lloyd and Ida Murphy. She graduated from Hutchinson High in 1960 and married her high school sweetheart, Douglas M. Mitchell, on March 29, 1961. They were married for 51 years.

Deanna worked a number of jobs to help support her family, starting as a secretary for Decker & Mattison Co. while Doug attended Hutchinson Community College. She later was a Boy Scout den mother in Partridge, and a choir director for the Methodist Church in Pretty Prairie, where she also was an Avon sales representative and drove the kindergarten bus route (in a station wagon). Deanna served the De Soto School District as a library aide in two elementary schools for more than a decade and showed her children a strong work ethic by working as the district's painter during sweltering Kansas summers.

Deanna continued to work in school libraries, as well as the USD 308 media center, after the couple moved home to Hutchinson in 1991. Doug and Deanna both retired from USD 308 after more than 15 years of service.

She enjoyed crocheting blankets for family and friends, making quilts for their babies and was a first-rate cook. She was a good softball player in her youth, an outstanding bowler into her mid-60s and loved to cheer on the Royals, Chiefs and Jayhawks. She hiked up Pikes Peak in Colorado four times with her beloved father. And like her "Pa," she loved to tell stories, regardless of how many times you had already heard them.

Doug and Deanna were avid gardeners, and she delighted in making, canning and sharing  homemade salsa with ingredients from their own backyard.

She was preceded in death by her parents and stepmother, Sarah ‘Peggy’ Murphy; husband; and son-in-law Donald Coffman.

She is survived by her three children: son Douglas Mitchell of the Bronx, New York; daughter Darla Coffman of Peculiar, Mo.; and son David Mitchell (Michelle Renner) of Shawnee, Kan.

Deanna also is survived by six grandchildren: Kellee Coffman (Tony Culley) of Harrisonville, Mo.; Kylee Pennay of Independence, Mo.; Jack Mitchell of Cresskill, N.J.; and Renee Mitchell, Eleanor Mitchell and Samuel Mitchell of Shawnee, Kan.; three great grandsons: Weston Coffman, Jack Pennay and Lincoln Pennay, all of Independence, Mo.; and one great granddaughter, Kynlee Culley of Harrisonville, Mo.

Other survivors include her sister, Deloris Murphy of Kansas City, Mo.; three brothers: James (Lois) Murphy of Stockbridge, Ga.; Johnie (Opal) Murphy of Palermo, Calif.; and Bill (Jan) Murphy of Sonora, Calif., and more than a dozen nieces and nephews.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on large gatherings, the family plans to hold a memorial service at a later date. A private burial will be at Laurel Cemetery, near Haven.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hutchinson Public Library, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main St., Hutchinson, Kan. 67501.

The family takes comfort knowing Doug and Deanna are together again. And after seven years apart, he is probably ready to hear some of her favorite stories again.