In memoriam James F.D. “Jim”
\n Mitchell\u00a0<\/p>\n
On New Year\u2019s Eve, the Mitchell family of New
\n Glasgow, Nova Scotia, suffered the sudden and unexpected loss of their
\n beloved husband, father, and “Grampy,” James Francis Donald
\n “Jim” Mitchell.\u00a0\u00a0At the age of 89, Jim
\n passed away at home following a joyful dinner out with his wife Marg
\n and dear friends.\u00a0\u00a0His departure leaves a profound
\n void in his family and in the community he served so tirelessly
\n throughout his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Born in Toronto, Ontario, on May 8, 1936, Jim was the second
\n of four sons of James Mitchell, of Scottish heritage, and Eva
\n (Sherlock) Mitchell, of Irish roots (this combination actually
\n explains a lot).\u00a0\u00a0His boyhood was marked by
\n adventure: exploring the streets, rock fights, collecting scrap for
\n the war effort, playing football and basketball, canoeing, his band
\n and, most enduringly, embracing the values of Scouting.<\/p>\n
After high school (and an ill-advised try-out for the Toronto
\n Argonauts – he weighed just under 160 pounds), Jim joined the Royal
\n Canadian Mounted Police and headed to Regina, Saskatchewan for
\n training. This was a time when the single most important aspect of
\n Mountie training was still
\n \u2018horsemanship\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0Upon
\n graduating, he requested an initial posting to Vancouver, BC. Instead,
\n he got Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Lucky for him.<\/p>\n
Jim settled into his new posting and soon met the love of his
\n life, a pretty nursing assistant named Margaret Isabelle Aloysius (had
\n to put that in there, mom) MacMillan. They first crossed paths when
\n Constable Mitchell arrived at Western Memorial Hospital late one
\n evening with a seriously injured man. He returned the next day and
\n tried, in vain, to convince the senior nurse that police business
\n required him to obtain Margaret\u2019s address and telephone
\n number. He was persistent, and a romance eventually ensued, but the
\n Force had other ideas. At the time, officers were not permitted to
\n marry until completing five years of service and Jim was only two
\n years in. He chose love over red serge and resigned.<\/p>\n
Post-RCMP, Jim joined Underwriters Adjustment Bureau as an
\n insurance adjuster, initially in Corner Brook, then in Sydney NS, and
\n finally, in New Glasgow. There, Jim and Marg raised their two children
\n and settled down for the rest of their lives. He never wanted to be
\n anywhere else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While \u2018home\u2019 was in town,
\n “Glenfalloch Farm”, a 100-acre parcel of land inherited from
\n Marg\u2019s side of the family, became Jim\u2019s fortress
\n of solitude.\u00a0\u00a0Jim raised laying hens and maintained
\n a large vegetable garden. He bought pigs, sheep, goats, and a
\n cow.\u00a0\u00a0These larger animals, essentially pets, were
\n given names and died of old age. He kept ponies and horses for the
\n grandchildren, fostering their love of animals and creating two junior
\n equestrians. Always one to have a project, when the farm animals were
\n gone he pivoted and built a \u2018golf
\n course\u2019.<\/p>\n
At Underwriters Jim eventually worked his way up to Branch
\n Manager, developing expertise in complex investigations, including the
\n Westray Mine disaster. While he enjoyed a challenging and varied
\n career, his true passion was always community service.<\/p>\n
His list of activities and accolades is far too long to fully
\n capture, but includes 17 years coaching High School Girl\u2019s
\n Basketball, 22 years leading Boy Scouts and Venturers, serving terms
\n as Governor and Treasurer of the Atlantic Institute of Education,
\n Board Member of the Aberdeen Hospital, Vice Chair of the Northern
\n Regional Health Board, Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the Town of
\n New Glasgow, Member of the New Glasgow Police Commission, and Chairman
\n of the New Glasgow Riverfront Development Society, the New Glasgow
\n Recreation Commission, as well as both the Trinity United Church Board
\n of Trustees and Building Committee. As if that wasn\u2019t
\n enough, he also served terms as President of:<\/p>\n
The Nova Scotia School Board Association;<\/p>\n
The Canadian School Board Association;<\/p>\n
The Atlantic Canada Junior Chamber of Commerce (and National
\n Vice President);<\/p>\n
The New Glasgow Rotary Club (where he received
\n Rotary\u2019s highest honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship Life
\n Membership);<\/p>\n
The New Glasgow Music Festival;<\/p>\n
The New Glasgow Festival of the Tartans;<\/p>\n
The\u00a0\u00a0St. Andrew\u2019s Society of
\n Pictou County;<\/p>\n
The Pictou County YMCA (two terms); and<\/p>\n
The United Way of Pictou County (where he also dedicated 12
\n years as a Board member).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jim was a longtime member, and past-Potentate of the Philae
\n Shriners.\u00a0\u00a0He was a member of the Shriner Clown
\n Unit, appearing in parades and events all over NS and
\n PEI.\u00a0\u00a0A small plaque bearing his name hangs at the
\n Shriner\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital in Montreal,
\n acknowledging his efforts in securing support for the building of the
\n new hospital there.\u00a0\u00a0He passionately lobbied for the
\n Montreal location, mainly because of its closer proximity to Atlantic
\n Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was a dedicated member of the Liberal party, both
\n federally and provincially, and served a term as Vice President of the
\n Nova Scotia Liberal Party. He not only travelled to Ottawa to attend
\n Pierre Trudeau\u2019s funeral, but got up early and was first in
\n line to pay his respects (he later admitted that he was actually
\n second in line, but “managed to get by the guy ahead of
\n me”).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year, Jim received an unexpected package at home. Inside
\n was a King Charles III Coronation Medal, awarded to him “for
\n dedicated service to your peers, to your community, to Nova Scotia,
\n and to Canada.”\u00a0\u00a0He had no idea he had been
\n nominated and teared up in the kitchen. He never asked for, or
\n expected, anything in return for his
\n efforts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jim was never anything less than himself, a trait that
\n sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.\u00a0\u00a0He was the
\n most stubborn man we knew, rarely (never?) admitted he was wrong, and
\n was often away from home for his volunteer activities. He could be
\n direct, sarcastic, and confrontational. He was an occasional
\n hockey-rink fighter (in the stands, not on the ice), gave his Scout
\n and Venturer charges an overly long leash at times (they all turned
\n out pretty well it should be noted), and his sartorial choices were
\n sometimes questionable.\u00a0\u00a0He challenged speeding
\n tickets in court (once “proving” that a car he was passing
\n was going faster than he was). He was supremely confident and never
\n intimidated, which didn\u2019t always work in his
\n favour.<\/p>\n
Sometimes his impatience paid dividends. Looking to skirt the
\n exit line at a political event at the 1995 Halifax G7 meetings, he
\n opted for the route reserved for the world leaders and led Marg
\n straight past security and into a private reception for the
\n Presidents, Prime Ministers, and their entourages. He and Marg spent
\n the better part of an hour chatting up Bill Clinton, John Major, and
\n (in Marg\u2019s words, “that nice little
\n \u2018eyetalian\u2019 man”) Prime Minister Dini. After
\n joining the group for an evening-ending fireworks display, the jig was
\n up when they exited a door reserved for the official motorcades. They
\n were redirected by a polite protocol officer.<\/p>\n
No one can ever accuse Jim of not living his life to the
\n fullest.\u00a0\u00a0He took every opportunity to become
\n involved in something new and prioritized having fun. He loved to
\n laugh, enjoyed watching Saturday morning cartoons until well into
\n adulthood, and told (mostly) bad jokes. A point of pride was winning
\n second place in a Rotary Club Stand-Up Comedy Competition. He played
\n men\u2019s league basketball, refereed high school and
\n men\u2019s league games, played floor hockey, organized
\n “cultural” adventure travel for the Scouts and Venturers,
\n and enjoyed hunting and fishing trips with his buddies. His RCMP
\n training meant he was an excellent driver, and he possessed an uncanny
\n sense of direction.\u00a0\u00a0Later in life, reading became
\n an obsession and he finally learned to sit quietly.<\/p>\n
He never smoked or drank\u2014ever\u2014with the
\n exception of one late-in-life errant encounter with a bottle of what
\n he described as “the worst lemonade I\u2019ve ever
\n tasted”.\u00a0\u00a0We had to tell
\n him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Family life was full of adventures, including summer cottage
\n rentals at Point 44, sailing his 20-foot boat, trips to Bermuda, the
\n Bahamas, Florida, Toronto, various New England states, Expo
\n \u201967, and a road trip from Tijuana to Vancouver. He and Marg
\n travelled extensively to Shriner\u2019s events around North
\n America, and made a long-desired trip to the UK where he found the old
\n family home in Glasgow.\u00a0\u00a0He wouldn\u2019t take
\n us on our first U.S. vacation until we had visited all ten Canadian
\n provinces. He made sure that the family were together to watch the
\n Beatles on Ed Sullivan and Neil Armstrong\u2019s walk on the
\n moon.<\/p>\n
Jim\u2019s grandchildren were his pride and joy.
\n Alongside Marg, he attended as many hockey, basketball, and rugby
\n games, dance recitals, and horseback-riding exhibitions as humanly
\n possible.\u00a0\u00a0He looked forward to their frequent
\n visits to the family home and his own travels to visit the Halifax
\n crowd with Marg.<\/p>\n
In the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s “The man
\n in the arena,” Jim Mitchell was a “doer of deeds” who
\n spent himself in worthy causes.\u00a0\u00a0He dared (perhaps
\n greatly), loved deeply, and served without
\n reservation.\u00a0\u00a0New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and Canada
\n have lost a true pillar.\u00a0\u00a0He leaves an enduring
\n legacy of caring, leadership, and joie de vivre.<\/p>\n
Jim is survived by his wife and partner of 67 years, Marg;
\n his children, son Randy, aka “Pal,” (Maureen), Halifax,
\n daughter Kim (Ed), New Glasgow, and his five grandchildren, Mandy,
\n Mitchell (Savannah), Erin (Dan), Liam and Hannah, plus five
\n grand-dogs. He is also survived by two brothers, Walter and Don, and
\n numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his
\n older brother, Robert, and his sister-in-law, Nancy.<\/p>\n
The Mitchell family would like to offer sincere thanks to
\n Jim\u2019s\u00a0\u00a0physicians, Dr. Hack and Dr.
\n Kaiprath, for their excellent care of Jim over the years; to the New
\n Glasgow Fire Department, EHS, and Det. Cst\u2019s Kris and Trudi
\n for their quick response and caring approach; to Reverend Donna
\n Tourneur for her support and guidance, and to Jody at Shoppers Drug
\n Mart for all of her care. A special thanks to Jim\u2019s friend
\n Wayne Urquhart for supplying him with copious reading materials over
\n the last few years.<\/p>\n
There will be no visitation. Funeral 2pm Wednesday, January
\n 7, Trinity United Church, 151 Temperance St., New Glasgow, with Rev.
\n Donna Tourneur officiating. Reception to follow. Masonic service, 2pm
\n Wednesday, Trinity United Church (prior to the funeral). Arrangements
\n are under the direction of R.H. Porter Funeral Home, New
\n Glasgow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In memoriam James F.D. “Jim” Mitchell\u00a0 On New Year\u2019s Eve, the Mitchell family of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":493882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2147,50],"class_list":{"0":"post-493881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115842063114020342","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}