Eileen H. Mitchell

Eileen H. Mitchell died peacefully on June 15, 2026 in Cleveland, OH.

She was born April 13th, 1936 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Lester and Ruth Haas. Eileen and her beloved sister, Kathy, were raised in a home where family and church were at the center of daily life, creating cherished memories that would shape her values for decades to come.

After graduating from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1958, Eileen remained in the area and began her career as an elementary school teacher. It was there that she met her future husband, Eugene Mitchell, who was attending the Lutheran Seminary at Augustana. From the time they married and began their life together during Gene’s internship in Chicago, family, faith, friendship, and meaningful relationships became the cornerstones of their lives.

Following Gene’s ordination, the couple moved to the small but welcoming communities of New Sweden and Stockholm, Maine. There they began raising their family with the births of their two children, David and Sarah. During those years, they celebrated their Swedish heritage and created many cherished family traditions.

Their next chapter took them to Rutland, Vermont, where Gene served as pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Eileen taught first grade in the local elementary school. During their children's formative years, they built many lifelong friendships. In 1976, Gene accepted a call to churches in Connecticut, leading the family first to Rockville and later, in 1984, to Windsor. After several years of teaching as a long-term substitute, Eileen began a new career as an administrative assistant with Thrivent Financial (then AAL), where she worked until her retirement in 1999. In every community they called home, Eileen formed lasting friendships and enriched the lives of those around her through her warmth, kindness, and genuine love of people.

Throughout her life, Eileen was deeply involved in her churches and found joy in sewing, quilting, baking, and creating. Through these passions she developed countless friendships that endured throughout her life. She served on numerous church committees, quilting guilds, and Scandinavian heritage organizations. She was especially known within her family for baking her grandmother’s Swedish coffee bread and for hosting her beloved Swedish smorgasbord every Christmas Eve.

Eileen was fiercely devoted to her family and enthusiastically supported her children's and grandchildren’s activities, interests, and dreams. Her creativity was evident in everything she made, whether hand-quilting a blanket or sewing a doll's dress for her granddaughter. At heart, she was always a teacher, sharing her knowledge, patience, and encouragement with her children and grandchildren alike.

Eileen and Gene also shared a love of travel. Together they hosted several European tours, took countless road trips to visit family and friends across the country, and enjoyed cruises with close cousins and their spouses.

After Gene’s passing in 2012, Eileen devoted herself to Emanuel Lutheran Church, her friends, and her many creative pursuits. Yet she never missed an opportunity to celebrate holidays, milestones, and special occasions with family. Her travels often included visits to Sarah and Karl in central Maine and to David, Debra, and her cherished grandchildren, Sam and Lucia, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. During these years, her bond with her sister Kathy grew even stronger through frequent visits and nearly daily phone calls.

Summer highlights often revolved around family gatherings, relaxing days by the family pool, and enjoying fresh lobsters and steamers on the back porch.

In 2023, Eileen relocated to be closer to David and his family and made her home at Judson Park. She treasured the opportunity to spend more time with her family and especially enjoyed being near her beloved grandchildren.

Eileen's life was defined by faith, family, friendship, creativity, and service. She leaves behind a legacy of love, generosity, and treasured memories that will continue to inspire all who knew her.

Although she was born in Iowa and spent her final years in Ohio, Eileen always considered herself a New Englander at heart. Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut were the places where she built her family, nurtured lifelong friendships, and devoted herself to her church and community. She embraced the traditions, landscapes, and spirit of New England, and it remained the place she most deeply thought of as home.

Eileen H. Mitchell (nee Haas), age 90 of Windsor, CT. Beloved wife of the late Rev. Eugene F. Mitchell; cherished mother of David E. Mitchell (Debra) of Cleveland Hts., OH and Sarah M. Hatlemark (Karl) of Readfield, ME; loving grandmother of Samuel W. and Lucia C. Mitchell; dear sister of Kathleen Malick (Don). The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in her name to Camp Calumet Lutheran, 1090 Ossipee Lake Rd., West Ossipee, NH 03890 or to Emanuel Lutheran Church, 311 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106, where a Memorial Service will be held at a date and time to be determined.