Ross J. Mitchell

Please Note Date of Service

Ross J. Mitchell, age 83, of Watertown, SD, passed away on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Prairie Lakes Healthcare.  Memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Watertown with Father John Fischer celebrating.  

Visitation will be from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024, with scripture service and rosary at 7:00 p.m., at Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in Watertown.

Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Watertown.  Active urnbearers will be Clifford Mitchell, Michael Miller, Gary Mitchell, and Ken Mitchell.

Ross Joseph Mitchell was born May 17, 1940, in Watertown, South Dakota to Carolyn (Fox) and Clifford Mitchell.  Ross grew up in Watertown, where he attended I.C. school and graduated in 1958 from Watertown High School. He attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He married  Nina (Schmeling) on February 17, 1973, at I.C. church in Watertown, and they were happily married for 52 years. Together they have two children: Elizabeth “Beth” and Clifford “Mitch”. He gave his children the gift of his family values and his deep faith; he believed in hard work, and he was very proud of the professional accomplishments of his children.

He worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 35 years. He started in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but he worked the majority of his career in Watertown in the positions of Night Supervisor, Distribution Clerk, and in the finance section.

His family will remember him as loving, patient, funny, sensitive, and caring. He was devoted to his wife, and a wonderful father to his children. In his earlier years, he enjoyed pheasant and duck hunting with his family and friends. In later years, he and Nina were rarely separated from each other, and they loved doing everything together.

Ross always had a genuine smile and warm greeting every time he ran into friends around town. He loved living in Watertown – he treasured the history and all the friends and families that he worked with, grew up with, and connected with over his long life. His family always joked that he knew everyone in town, and it wasn’t far from the truth! If he didn’t know someone directly, he knew someone in their family, and had a fun story to remember them.

He truly enjoyed spending time with all of his immediate and extended family – siblings, nieces and nephews – and stayed in close contact with them throughout his life. One of his favorite things was just to be with family.

When Ross and Nina were raising their children, they would travel throughout the United States, taking many family vacations in the R.V. and embarking on journeys that often rivaled National Lampoon’s Vacation due to all of the misadventures that followed them along the way. After his retirement, he and Nina took to taking much longer trips and traveled all over the globe. He always said that they had to get out and see things while they could! His curious mind soaked up the history everywhere that they went. Some of their favorite places were Egypt, China, Russia, Greece, and Spain, and they adored their many cruises. As always, they made wonderful friends while on their adventures.

Ross was an active member of Holy Name of Jesus Church, where he enjoyed being a Eucharistic Minister, server, and going to bible studies. He loved going to Wednesday morning mass and having coffee and rolls so he could chat with friends after services. Ross, along with Nina, was a very busy volunteer in his retirement. He volunteered for over 12 years at Prairie Lakes Hospital, and he also gave his time to Meals on Wheels and was a member of WARSP. He  was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a lifetime member of the Elks. Of course, Ross occasionally made time for a lazy evening in his recliner to watch a little television.

Ross is survived by his wife Nina, daughter Elizabeth (Michael Miller) of Castle Rock, CO; son, Cliff (Jaime) of Oak Creek, WI; their grand-daughter Elena (Miller); his brother Gary (Mariel Luna) of Winchester, VA; sister Monica (Charles Stutes) of Rayne, LA; sister Joan (Ken Busch) of Prior Lake, MN; sister Carol (Dennis Dingman, deceased) of Sioux Falls, SD; brother Ken (Georgia) of Eagan, MN; brother-in-law Bill (Cheryl) Schmeling, of DeSoto, KS; sister-in-law Charlotte (Dan) Muller of Sioux Falls, SD; and many loving cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and extended family members.

He was preceded in death by his parents Clifford and Carolyn Mitchell, his infant brother John, and sister-in-law Joanne(James) Murdoch. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church or I.C. school.

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