G. Stephen Mitchell Jr. Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Stephen passed away peacefully of respiratory failure on August 1 in Tallahassee. Funeral services will be held graveside at Westview Cemetery in Palatka FL on August 12, 2020 at 2 p.m. He is survived by his sister, Mrs. Gary (Lucy) Baer of Gadsden County, nieces Holli Baer (Sandra Purvis) of Tallahassee and Mrs. Paul (Jill) Tedeschi of Boston, and first cousins Mrs. Pete (Martha) Donnelly and Mrs. Jack (Lenora) Ransom and their families. Special appreciation goes to his close friends Susan Clemons, Leonard Strom, and Bob Denny. His high-school graduating class of 1964 has remained close to this day. Stephen was born and raised in Palatka. He was an Eagle Scout with Palms as well as Order of the Arrow, and he was selected as one of six Scouts from the entire state of Florida to attend the 11th World Scout Jamboree outside Athens, Greece in 1963. From childhood he had been a semi-professional music performer with his voice and piano virtuosity. He performed in more than twenty stage musicals and dramas, at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center and the Waterfront Playhouse in Key West as well as the Tallahassee Little Theater (Theatre Tallahassee). As a teen he performed two piano concertos with the Jacksonville Starlight Symphonette. In 1965 he was a pianist/performer for the USO Northern Tour. As an adult he was substitute organist for three different churches in Key West. Steve earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from FSU and was a member of Tau Epsilon Phi social fraternity. He was an avid FSU football fan and Seminole Booster as well as a lifetime member of the FSU Alumni Association. In his professional life he was a charter member of the Tallahassee chapter of the Association of Internal Auditors. In 1973 he was chosen as the first Medicaid Auditor for the State of Florida. For two years In the 80s he worked as the Chief Accountant for the private hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia, for the Saudi royal family. While in Taif he was the music director for the underground non-denominational Christian Church, at great risk. In 1985 he was part of the commissioning ceremonies for the USS Key West nuclear submarine. Steve returned to Tallahassee in 1990. He loved socializing with the Prime Timers and had traveled extensively nationally and worldwide. He was confirmed at St. John’s Episcopal Church while in college, and in the 2000s became a Lay Eucharist Minister at the church. His favorite hymn was “For All the Saints” (Sine Nomine). Memorial contributions may be made to the Music Fund at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tallahassee, or to the Boy Scouts – North Florida or Suwannee River Area Council. Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home of Tallahassee (www.bevisfh.com) is assisting Mr. Mitchell’s family with their arrangements.

Tributes

G. Stephen Mitchell Jr.

August 23, 1946 - August 1, 2020