In memoriam James F.D. “Jim”
Mitchell 

On New Year’s Eve, the Mitchell family of New
Glasgow, Nova Scotia, suffered the sudden and unexpected loss of their
beloved husband, father, and “Grampy,” James Francis Donald
“Jim” Mitchell.  At the age of 89, Jim
passed away at home following a joyful dinner out with his wife Marg
and dear friends.  His departure leaves a profound
void in his family and in the community he served so tirelessly
throughout his life. 

Born in Toronto, Ontario, on May 8, 1936, Jim was the second
of four sons of James Mitchell, of Scottish heritage, and Eva
(Sherlock) Mitchell, of Irish roots (this combination actually
explains a lot).  His boyhood was marked by
adventure: exploring the streets, rock fights, collecting scrap for
the war effort, playing football and basketball, canoeing, his band
and, most enduringly, embracing the values of Scouting.

After high school (and an ill-advised try-out for the Toronto
Argonauts – he weighed just under 160 pounds), Jim joined the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police and headed to Regina, Saskatchewan for
training. This was a time when the single most important aspect of
Mountie training was still
‘horsemanship’.  Upon
graduating, he requested an initial posting to Vancouver, BC. Instead,
he got Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Lucky for him.

Jim settled into his new posting and soon met the love of his
life, a pretty nursing assistant named Margaret Isabelle Aloysius (had
to put that in there, mom) MacMillan. They first crossed paths when
Constable Mitchell arrived at Western Memorial Hospital late one
evening with a seriously injured man. He returned the next day and
tried, in vain, to convince the senior nurse that police business
required him to obtain Margaret’s address and telephone
number. He was persistent, and a romance eventually ensued, but the
Force had other ideas. At the time, officers were not permitted to
marry until completing five years of service and Jim was only two
years in. He chose love over red serge and resigned.

Post-RCMP, Jim joined Underwriters Adjustment Bureau as an
insurance adjuster, initially in Corner Brook, then in Sydney NS, and
finally, in New Glasgow. There, Jim and Marg raised their two children
and settled down for the rest of their lives. He never wanted to be
anywhere else. 

While ‘home’ was in town,
“Glenfalloch Farm”, a 100-acre parcel of land inherited from
Marg’s side of the family, became Jim’s fortress
of solitude.  Jim raised laying hens and maintained
a large vegetable garden. He bought pigs, sheep, goats, and a
cow.  These larger animals, essentially pets, were
given names and died of old age. He kept ponies and horses for the
grandchildren, fostering their love of animals and creating two junior
equestrians. Always one to have a project, when the farm animals were
gone he pivoted and built a ‘golf
course’.

At Underwriters Jim eventually worked his way up to Branch
Manager, developing expertise in complex investigations, including the
Westray Mine disaster. While he enjoyed a challenging and varied
career, his true passion was always community service.

His list of activities and accolades is far too long to fully
capture, but includes 17 years coaching High School Girl’s
Basketball, 22 years leading Boy Scouts and Venturers, serving terms
as Governor and Treasurer of the Atlantic Institute of Education,
Board Member of the Aberdeen Hospital, Vice Chair of the Northern
Regional Health Board, Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the Town of
New Glasgow, Member of the New Glasgow Police Commission, and Chairman
of the New Glasgow Riverfront Development Society, the New Glasgow
Recreation Commission, as well as both the Trinity United Church Board
of Trustees and Building Committee. As if that wasn’t
enough, he also served terms as President of:

The Nova Scotia School Board Association;

The Canadian School Board Association;

The Atlantic Canada Junior Chamber of Commerce (and National
Vice President);

The New Glasgow Rotary Club (where he received
Rotary’s highest honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship Life
Membership);

The New Glasgow Music Festival;

The New Glasgow Festival of the Tartans;

The  St. Andrew’s Society of
Pictou County;

The Pictou County YMCA (two terms); and

The United Way of Pictou County (where he also dedicated 12
years as a Board member). 

Jim was a longtime member, and past-Potentate of the Philae
Shriners.  He was a member of the Shriner Clown
Unit, appearing in parades and events all over NS and
PEI.  A small plaque bearing his name hangs at the
Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Montreal,
acknowledging his efforts in securing support for the building of the
new hospital there.  He passionately lobbied for the
Montreal location, mainly because of its closer proximity to Atlantic
Canada. 

He was a dedicated member of the Liberal party, both
federally and provincially, and served a term as Vice President of the
Nova Scotia Liberal Party. He not only travelled to Ottawa to attend
Pierre Trudeau’s funeral, but got up early and was first in
line to pay his respects (he later admitted that he was actually
second in line, but “managed to get by the guy ahead of
me”). 

Last year, Jim received an unexpected package at home. Inside
was a King Charles III Coronation Medal, awarded to him “for
dedicated service to your peers, to your community, to Nova Scotia,
and to Canada.”  He had no idea he had been
nominated and teared up in the kitchen. He never asked for, or
expected, anything in return for his
efforts.  

Jim was never anything less than himself, a trait that
sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.  He was the
most stubborn man we knew, rarely (never?) admitted he was wrong, and
was often away from home for his volunteer activities. He could be
direct, sarcastic, and confrontational. He was an occasional
hockey-rink fighter (in the stands, not on the ice), gave his Scout
and Venturer charges an overly long leash at times (they all turned
out pretty well it should be noted), and his sartorial choices were
sometimes questionable.  He challenged speeding
tickets in court (once “proving” that a car he was passing
was going faster than he was). He was supremely confident and never
intimidated, which didn’t always work in his
favour.

Sometimes his impatience paid dividends. Looking to skirt the
exit line at a political event at the 1995 Halifax G7 meetings, he
opted for the route reserved for the world leaders and led Marg
straight past security and into a private reception for the
Presidents, Prime Ministers, and their entourages. He and Marg spent
the better part of an hour chatting up Bill Clinton, John Major, and
(in Marg’s words, “that nice little
‘eyetalian’ man”) Prime Minister Dini. After
joining the group for an evening-ending fireworks display, the jig was
up when they exited a door reserved for the official motorcades. They
were redirected by a polite protocol officer.

No one can ever accuse Jim of not living his life to the
fullest.  He took every opportunity to become
involved in something new and prioritized having fun. He loved to
laugh, enjoyed watching Saturday morning cartoons until well into
adulthood, and told (mostly) bad jokes. A point of pride was winning
second place in a Rotary Club Stand-Up Comedy Competition. He played
men’s league basketball, refereed high school and
men’s league games, played floor hockey, organized
“cultural” adventure travel for the Scouts and Venturers,
and enjoyed hunting and fishing trips with his buddies. His RCMP
training meant he was an excellent driver, and he possessed an uncanny
sense of direction.  Later in life, reading became
an obsession and he finally learned to sit quietly.

He never smoked or drank—ever—with the
exception of one late-in-life errant encounter with a bottle of what
he described as “the worst lemonade I’ve ever
tasted”.  We had to tell
him. 

Family life was full of adventures, including summer cottage
rentals at Point 44, sailing his 20-foot boat, trips to Bermuda, the
Bahamas, Florida, Toronto, various New England states, Expo
’67, and a road trip from Tijuana to Vancouver. He and Marg
travelled extensively to Shriner’s events around North
America, and made a long-desired trip to the UK where he found the old
family home in Glasgow.  He wouldn’t take
us on our first U.S. vacation until we had visited all ten Canadian
provinces. He made sure that the family were together to watch the
Beatles on Ed Sullivan and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the
moon.

Jim’s grandchildren were his pride and joy.
Alongside Marg, he attended as many hockey, basketball, and rugby
games, dance recitals, and horseback-riding exhibitions as humanly
possible.  He looked forward to their frequent
visits to the family home and his own travels to visit the Halifax
crowd with Marg.

In the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt’s “The man
in the arena,” Jim Mitchell was a “doer of deeds” who
spent himself in worthy causes.  He dared (perhaps
greatly), loved deeply, and served without
reservation.  New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and Canada
have lost a true pillar.  He leaves an enduring
legacy of caring, leadership, and joie de vivre.

Jim is survived by his wife and partner of 67 years, Marg;
his children, son Randy, aka “Pal,” (Maureen), Halifax,
daughter Kim (Ed), New Glasgow, and his five grandchildren, Mandy,
Mitchell (Savannah), Erin (Dan), Liam and Hannah, plus five
grand-dogs. He is also survived by two brothers, Walter and Don, and
numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his
older brother, Robert, and his sister-in-law, Nancy.

The Mitchell family would like to offer sincere thanks to
Jim’s  physicians, Dr. Hack and Dr.
Kaiprath, for their excellent care of Jim over the years; to the New
Glasgow Fire Department, EHS, and Det. Cst’s Kris and Trudi
for their quick response and caring approach; to Reverend Donna
Tourneur for her support and guidance, and to Jody at Shoppers Drug
Mart for all of her care. A special thanks to Jim’s friend
Wayne Urquhart for supplying him with copious reading materials over
the last few years.

There will be no visitation. Funeral 2pm Wednesday, January
7, Trinity United Church, 151 Temperance St., New Glasgow, with Rev.
Donna Tourneur officiating. Reception to follow. Masonic service, 2pm
Wednesday, Trinity United Church (prior to the funeral). Arrangements
are under the direction of R.H. Porter Funeral Home, New
Glasgow.