James Robert Mitchell was born in Duluth, Minnesota on a cold March morning in 1942, the second of four children. He grew up helping his father build furniture in the family workshop on Elm Street — a love of craft that never left him.
He served in the United States Army from 1962 to 1968, completing two tours abroad. He spoke rarely of those years but carried them with quiet dignity for the rest of his life. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant and received two commendations for service.
After returning home he met Patricia Anne Walsh at a church social in Superior, Wisconsin in 1969. They were married within the year and remained devoted partners for 54 years. Together they raised three children — Thomas, Carol and Daniel — in a house James largely built himself on the shores of Lake Superior.
He spent 31 years as a master carpenter and later opened his own shop, Mitchell & Sons Woodworking, which Thomas still operates today. He was known for his patience, his dry humor, and his ability to fix absolutely anything.
"Every Sunday morning he made pancakes shaped like animals for the grandchildren. He never once made a perfect circle — always a bear or a rabbit or something that made them laugh. They loved it more than anything, and so did I."
"Dad taught me that a handshake means something. That you finish what you start. That wood has a grain and you work with it, not against it. I use every one of those lessons every single day in the shop."
"He drove eight hours through a snowstorm to see my first gallery show. Didn't tell me he was coming. Just walked in the door at 9pm with snow still on his coat and said, 'Show me your favorites.' That was my father."
"Jim was the kind of soldier who made you feel safe just by being there. Fifty years later and I still think about the day he pulled me out of that ditch in the rain without a word and just kept moving. That was Jim."