William M Mitchell, 96, of Burlington, passed away peacefully on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family. He will be remembered as a man of unwavering character who truly lived the belief that a good life is built through hard work, generosity, and love.
Youngest of five children of William and Katherine Mitchell, Bill was born in Leaksville (now Eden), N.C., and was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sara Jane, and their youngest son, David Mitchell. Bill is survived by his two sons, William Mitchell III and Gary Steven Mitchell of Ocracoke, seven grandchildren—Sara, Barbara, Justin, Mathew, Steven, Amber, and Katy—and 11 great-grandchildren.
The son of a millworker, Bill grew up in east Burlington during the throes of the Great Depression, and graduated from Broad Street High School in 1947. It was there that he met his high school sweetheart, Sara Jane Smith, to whom he was married for 72 extraordinary years. He made a wonderful career working for Western Electric in Burlington, starting in the cafeteria as a young man and rising to Department Chief at AT&T before he retired, making his way up the ranks through hard work and a trustworthy, unflinching character. His work took the family on adventures all across the country to Kansas, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey before ultimately returning home to North Carolina.
Bill and Jane enjoyed retirement, owning a home in the mountains and at the coast. His hobbies and interests included vegetable gardening, playing golf, touring the country in an RV, playing puzzles, and cheering for his beloved favorite team (the UNC Tar Heels, of course).
Up until Bill was 95 years old he competed in many events at The N.C. Senior Games, winning over 100 medals, including four times State Billiards champion. Also, at the age of 94 he decided to try skydiving (because George H.W. Bush did it at 90) and had a wonderful time!
His strong sense of Christian values, honesty, generosity and love of his family have been a continuing inspiration, and he will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 30, in the Funeral Home, S. Church St., Burlington. Visitation at 1 pm.
Donations in Bill’s honor may be made to: The Kernodle Senior Center, 1535 S. Mebane St., Burlington, NC
