John Terrance Mitchell, 56, of Urbana, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio.
John was born on January 23, 1964 in Urbana, IL, son of Howard and Dorothy Mitchell (Deshield). He attended Urbana High School where he was active on the football and track teams. In 1982, he enlisted in the Army and was active in the In-Active Reserves. He earned his CDL license in 1993 and began driving for J.B Hunt Trucking Company. In 1996, he became a driver for Wal-Mart Transportation's Private Fleet. John received several awards for safety service excellence and miles travelled over the road. He advanced his career in 2019 to work for American Service Line’s Transportation Division.
He enjoyed cooking, reading, metal detecting, fishing, and most of all eating. John was a great cook! As a truck driver, he traveled the country regularly and would discover foods that were unique to the areas he visited. Being the generous soul that he was, John would bring food discoveries home (or have them delivered) to share with family and friends. Packages were still being delivered after his passing. The red beans and rice and great northern beans that he had delivered will be prepared in his honor and added to the cherished memories of our precious John.
John leaves cherish memories to all who loved him and is survived by his parents Howard and Dorothy Mitchell (Urbana, IL), his life partner Yvette Gray Brown (Champaign, IL), his brother Howard Randolph Mitchell (Urbana, IL), his sisters Debra Mitchell-Adams (Champaign, IL) and Torrianna Whittaker (Inglewood, CA), his children Courtney Mitchell (Ocala, FL), Julien Mitchell (Austin, TX), Evan Brown (Champaign, IL), and Savanha Hurd (Billings, MT), and his grandchildren Janiyah Summage, Carter Bolstic, Caiden Bolstic (Ocala, FL), Javion and Zendaya Hurd (Billings, MT). And, he had a special bond with his uncle Melvin Lee Mitchell (Urbana, IL), whom he loved dearly.
John was proceeded in death by his paternal grandparents, Eugene and Ora Mitchell , maternal grandparents,William and Grace Deshield, and aunts, Lois Hall, Maxine Sanders, Alice Bussey, and uncles, Alonzo Mitchell, Robert Mitchell, Charles Deshield, William Henry Deshield.
A Celebration of Life will commence at 12’noon, Thursday June 25, 2020 at Leek & Sons Funeral Home 1215 West Bradley Ave., Urbana. A Visitation will begin at 11’am until the start of the service. A public viewing will be held on Tuesday June 23, 2020 from 3-6p.m. at the Funeral Home. Burial Woodlawn Cemetery
Due to CDC Regulations, number restrictions will be enforced. Services will be Live streamed via the Leek & Sons Funeral Home page
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