Allan Mitchell

Friday, March 20, 2015

Allan Charles Mitchell, also known as: A.C., Dad, Grandpa, Papa, Uncle Rev. and my Allan, passed Sunday, March 15, 2015, at 3:35 p.m., encapsulated in the love and voices of his family, friends and neighbors singing some of his favorite hymns. At the hymn, I'll Fly Away, his breathing slowed and at the end of Blessed Be the Tie that Binds he drew a few more quiet breaths and winged his way Home.

Allan came into this world Jan. 22, l920, the first born of Erving and Minnie (Hall) Mitchell, near Hackleburg, Alabama. He finished high school in that area, became a Boy Scout, joined the "Three C's," the Civil Conservation Corps as a medic.

From there, his call to the service took him into the Army Air Corps on Jan. 7, l942, for World War II. Service travels took him to Idaho, the East Coast, Puerto Rico, India and the South Sea Islands (he was stationed on Tinian when the Enola Gay bivouacked on the way to Japan with the atom bomb on board).

During those travels, he fell in love with Idaho, even more so when Idaho furnished him with a great love -- the young titian-haired girl, Jean Marie Henderson, whom he met on Main Street in front of the old Mode O'Day shop during a bet with a friend who said "you couldn't meet nice girls walking down the streets." Allan met the young girl, made a date with her for the next day, told his friend he was going to marry her and did so three weeks later to his great joy.

This extended to the subsequent joy of hundreds of us whose lives she impacted with her love and humor and gentle wisdom, her walk with Jesus, her teaching, hospitality.

Allan and Jeannie were blessed with one daughter, Bonnie Jean, named for her Mother and the fact that she was, indeed, a bonnie child. Allan came home from the war when Bonnie was 14 months old.

Bonnie Jean would subsequently bless her parents with three grandsons, Dean Allan Thompson, Charles "Chuck" Lee Clowers and David Carroll Clowers. The grandsons gave Allan three exemplary daughters-in-law -- Lisa Thompson, Amy Clowers, and Stacey Clowers; two fine grandsons, Dustin and Jacob (Keri) Clowers; six beautiful great-grand daughters -- Anna Clowers (Cody) Ratliff, Elizabeth Clowers (Steven) Clayton; Amie and Deanna Thompson, Aubrey and Olivia Clowers. And now, there is one great-great grandson, Rowen Archer Ratliff.

These 14 represent the "so far" living legacy of Allan and Jeannie to our world -- the "greats" and "grands" who bless and bless and bless again.

Allan's calling as a preacher had already begun in high school and continued while he was in the service. He became the minister at 4th and Bannock Church of Christ (now El Dorado Church of Christ), Boise, Idaho. From there, he and Jeannie served many churches in southern Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Saskatchewan, Canada, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas (where he received his BA at Harding University in Searcy and did most of the work on a Masters of Divinity).

During his 14 1/2 years with the Mountain Home Church of Christ, their lives touched people world-wide with Air Force deployments taking the congregants to all parts of the globe. It was there that his beloved Jeannie passed on her birthday in 1977 to grief that spread across planet Earth.

Three months later, Bonnie's husband, Terry Lee Clowers, passed unexpectedly, and a dim world grew darker for father and daughter and three little boys who had loved him as their Daddy.

Six years later, Allan was comforting a close friend of the family whom he and Jeannie had counseled through her courtship with her future husband, and years later had helped them adopt as their daughter a dear little girl who had been Allan and Jeannie's foster child. The comfort born of compassion gradually turned to love and Allan married Elida Jo Blythe from Bremerton, WA, on April 23, l983, becoming "Papa" to her three children and family and neighbors of her life.

His calling then took Allan and 'Jody' to churches in Tillamook, Ore.; the Navajo Reservation at Montezuma Creek, Utah; and Kuna, Idaho. Allan retired from active preaching in Kuna while Jody resumed her career as a teacher. He continued his work by teaching classes in Greek, writing the manuscripts for three books, and writing his autobiography with a title of The Tolerable Journey.

He got to enjoy many trips to see his beloved family, to spend time with both his brothers and three sisters, to make special eggs for one of his great-granddaughters, to have Monday night Memories with David and Stacey's family. Every minute with all his grands and greats were precious treasures to him. He got to spend years living near Bonnie Jean -- a "restoration of the years the locust ate" of being absent for her birth and early months.

The last five years of his life began to show the toll his hard physical work and his spiritual service had cost him though he drove 'till he was 92 and kept writing until the last six months of his life. He never quit praying for and loving his family, the church families he had served through the years and strangers and pilgrims he had met along the way whose chance conversations with him blessed his life.

Allan was preceded in passing by his beloved Jeannie; his deeply loved and precious nephew, James Mitchell; his highly respected son-in-law, Terry Clowers; his first great-grandson, Dustin Clowers; his mother and father, Erving and Minnie Mitchell; his brother and sister-in-law, Pete and Elsie Mitchell; his sister and brother-in-law, Danny and Jimmy Nell Mitchell Daniels.

He is survived by his precious daughter and dear son-in-law, Bonnie Jean and Gary Harris; his three grandsons and their wives and children noted above; his brother and sister-in-law J.J. and Eveylene Mitchell; his sister and brother-in-law Ruby and Ernest Chrisco; sister and brother-in-law Earlene and Bill Lemmon; all their dear and wonderful children and families; step-son and wife Bill and Jennie Blythe with daughter Breanna Blythe ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jacobs and Jim Jacobs; Terry Mae and John Robert Gerry with Trina Jean, her four boys Matthew, Gabriel, Nathaniel, Isaiah and Jeremy John and Elizabeth Gerry; Jean Ellen and Eric Hjort.

To list all the names of those who loved him and looked to Allan as second father, grandfather, friend, mentor, fellow worker with God would take many columns. He loved all of you, had your interests at heart to the last and will join the "great cloud of witnesses" who surround us.

A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Church of Christ, 4012 S. 10th Ave in Caldwell, Idaho. Arrangements are under the direction of Zeyer Funeral Chapel, Nampa. 467-7300 Condolences may be expressed at zeyerfuneralchapel.com.