Born on June 28, 1933, in Bivins, Texas, Waylon Royce Mitchell was the eighth of ten children and considered himself to have been a birthday gift to his mother, whose birthday was June 29. He often joked that he may, in fact, have been born on her birthday, but she recorded his as a day earlier to keep the 29th for herself. His father, Walter Solon Mitchell, Sr., was a highly regarded educator and community leader and his mother, Lugenie F. Turner Mitchell, was a devoted wife and mother, actively involved in church and civic affairs. Waylon’s earthly journey ended April 20, 2024, after a bountiful life that began on his family’s farm in rural northeast Texas.
Waylon was educated in the public schools in Cass and Marion counties and attended St. Helena, a four-room school in Bivins. When his father took a teaching position in Matador, Texas, and moved the family to the Panhandle, Waylon went to live with his maternal grandfather, Jett Turner, in Jefferson, Texas. There he spent the balance of his formative years and graduated from high school. Although Waylon missed his siblings, he enjoyed the spoils of being an only child for a few years. “I certainly didn’t miss fighting for that last piece of chicken at the dinner table,” he’d joke.
Waylon went on to attend Prairie View A&M College, where he studied engineering and briefly played football, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Education. He had supported his college education by working part time and participating in ROTC, which resulted in a commission in the United States Army. His military service, where he specialized in transportation and logistics, took him around the world, including two separate tours in Vietnam during the war. While he never shared much about his wartime experiences, he would mention that prayer sustained him, along with the determination to return to his family.
Early in his military career, he met a fellow officer, Lawrence May, who would become his best friend and later his brother-in-law. When they were stationed together at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, Waylon persuaded Lawrence to give him his sister Jacqueline’s phone number. Jacqueline Regina Flood was a registered nurse at the VA hospital in Dallas at the time. This may have been an early test of his logistical skills, because on one trip through Dallas to visit his mother in Denton, Waylon called Jackie. Needless to say, she answered. They dated and later married, living in Texas, Virigina and Missouri before Waylon, then an Army captain, left nearly 12 years of active duty behind and joined the corporate world. After a brief stay in Michigan, a promotion took Waylon and his family, which now included two children, Susan Kathleen and Royce Caldwell, to Chicago. The young family settled in Carol Stream, Illinois, where they stayed for nearly 30 years. They were involved in the community and its schools, with Waylon even serving on the school board. The family also became active members of Second Baptist Church in Maywood, Illinois.
Waylon worked in warehousing and physical distribution management for several companies, including Kraft Foods, Roundy’s and Swift Foods. During that time, he started his own small business, Spot Man, which specialized in janitorial services and building/home repairs.
Waylon’s favorite past time was being with family, whether that was recapping the day during their nightly family dinners or cheering on his children at their various sporting events. This included following them around the Midwest as they both competed in track as student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also enjoyed golfing, garden¬ing, woodworking, listening to music, bargain hunting and tinkering in the garage. Some of Waylon’s most treasured moments were family road trips across the U.S. that always led them to lively visits with extended family and ultimately to Texas to see his mom. He delighted in participating in family reunions and advising the next generation. He especially enjoyed visiting the East Texas farm of his childhood, which remains in the family and is fondly known as #2.
While they lived in Carol Stream, Waylon had returned to the U.S. Army through the Reserve and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. When Jackie retired from teaching nursing, they moved to Keller, Texas, to be closer to family, where they immediately became active members of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. Soon after, Jackie lost her battle with cancer.
A few years later Waylon found a beautiful love with longtime college friend and hometown girl, Sedalia Castleberry. During their nearly 18 years of marriage, the Houston residents enjoyed traveling, fishing, restoring Sedalia’s East Texas home, supporting Prairie View A&M, hosting family and loving their granddaughters, whom Waylon always reminded to make “conduct and grades” their priority.
He is survived by his bride, Sedalia; daughter, Susan Mitchell Jackson (Michael) and their children, Jillian Kathleen and Vivian Susanne; son, Royce C. Mitchell and his daughter, Miller Catherine; brother, Huey P. Mitchell (Nelvia); sisters-in-law, Donna Flood, Patricia Flood, Katie Fluker, Marlene May, Eartha Mitchell, Vernil Mitchell and Selma Tyson (Gene); brother-in-law, Harold Davis; and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and family friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lugenie and Walter S. Mitchell, Sr.; sisters, Eleanor Bassett and Franzelle Mitchell; brothers, Harold C. Mitchell, Sr., Doris Mitchell, Wendell B. Mitchell, John J. Mitchell, Walter S. Mitchell, Jr. and Charles D. Mitchell, Sr.; and his granddaughter, Jacqueline Jackson
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