Theo Mitchell

He was born April 29, 1935 in Decatur County, Georgia, to parents Theodore and Beulah (Pope) Mitchell. The Mitchells moved to Miami, Florida in 1936 with young children Betty and Ted. Their family soon grew to include beloved siblings Martha, Bobby, Patricia, and Barbara Anne. A family of strong faith, the Mitchells were active members of the Baptist Church.

Ted graduated from Edison High School, where he was a 2-sport athlete (football and track) and member of Future Farmers of America. Industrious by nature, his high school days included an early morning newspaper route, raising livestock and growing and marketing crops for FFA, a full school day, and afternoon football or track practice.

After high school graduation in 1953, he became a professional rodeo cowboy, competing all over the U.S., primarily in bull-riding and saddle bronc events. He returned home to Miami in 1956 and fell for Billie Tanner, whom he’d known as a family friend for most of her life. They married in December 1957.

He was self-employed in Miami as Ted Mitchell Electric from 1965 to 1978, when he moved his family to Tallahassee and formed Ted Mitchell Construction and spent the remainder of his working years as a home building contractor.

He was an outdoorsman, a cowboy, a farmer, a winemaker, a builder, a fixer, and a protector, but his greatest joy was his family. His parents named him Theo, his family name was Bubba, and he was Daddy or Pop to kids Vicki, Jeff, and Tracy. His grandest and most favorite title, however, was Pa, given by his 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To his family, Pa wasn’t just a nickname, it was a brand and badge of honor—one that lives on through the generations graced by the power of his example.

He is survived by wife Billie (Tanner) Mitchell; sisters Martha Condra and Patricia Adams; children Vicki Mitchell, Jeff Mitchell, and Tracy Graham (Matt); grandchildren Jason Corder (Bree), Casey Corder (Beth), Clay Sullivan (Tarah), Tanner Mitchell, and Parker Mitchell; and great-grandchildren Colton, Presley, Carter, Abel, Inara, and Collins Kate.