Janice W. Mitchell

Janice Lorraine Wignall Mitchell passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 11, 2020, in Parker, Colorado. She was 94 years old, and proud of it. Her family believes her timing was such to avoid voting in another presidential election.

Born in 1925 in Walworth, New York, to Robert Wellington and Bertha Franke Wignall, Janice was a gifted musician, writer, and teacher known for her generosity, sense of humor, and kind disposition. She never met a cat she didn’t like and brought a many of them home (Jenny and Peaches, most recently). Growing up on her parents’ fruit farm in Walworth with her younger brother Bob, Janice was active in the 4-H Club and served as an officer in the Walworth Pioneers. She earned numerous blue ribbons for her clothing and food projects, was nominated as a contestant for the Wayne County Blossom Queen, and was selected to represent her county at the New York State Fair. Yes, Janice was that All-American Girl.

Music was in Janice’s blood, or in her bloodline, one could say. A descendent of English, Irish, German, Dutch, and Swiss ancestors, all of whom were musicians of one kind or another, Janice really had no choice but to hone her classical gifts. After earning her bachelor’s degree in music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, Janice moved to Los Angeles and earned her master’s degree in music from the University of Southern California. She taught at the graduate level, at Biola University in Los Angeles, but most enjoyed overseeing the world-renowned Symphony Orchestra Program at Santa Monica High School. Over several decades, she touched the lives of numerous students, many of whom she kept in touch with throughout her life. These students included Robert Downey, Jr., Daryl Dragon (“The Captain” of Captain & Tennille), Rob Lowe, Maya Rudolph, and Charlie Sheen. Much to the dismay of Janice’s nephews and niece, she did not introduce her family to her students, and mentioned her brushes with fame only after her retirement. Along similar lines, Janice was the organist at the Westwood United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, arranging the music and playing at weddings for many couples including Axl Rose & Erin Everly. No, Janice’s family was not invited, not even to rehearsals. In her defense, she probably didn’t know who Axl Rose was. On the upside, the family’s musical bloodline has been passed on to Janice’s nephews, Rob and Jon, two as yet undiscovered electric guitar gods.

Perhaps growing up in small town “tormented Janice with an everlasting itch for things remote.” She was independent and curious, and traveled the world even before air travel was as common as driving to the grocery store. Portugal and Italy were favorites, and Hawaii became a perennial destination. Janice’s final trip overseas was a Hawaiian vacation with the wives of her nephews, Becky and Lynn, where they hulaed at a luau, watched surfers on the North Shore, and drank mai tais in Waikiki. Upon retirement, she moved from California to Colorado to be closer to her brother Bob and his family. She continued to play the organ in the East United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs, loyally attended performances of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, wrote short stories (we’re putting them together and will publish them later), watched professional tennis matches on television, read every book she could get her hands on, and faithfully corresponded with former students, friends from New York and California, and those she met on her travels around the world. If you were fortunate enough to be Janice’s friend, you were her friend for life. She was just that kind of person.

Janice was preceded in death by parents, Robert Wellington and Bertha Franke Wignall, beside whom she will be buried in Marion Cemetery in New York at a later date. She was a devoted sister to Robert L. “Bob” Wignall (Virginia) of Colorado Springs, CO; a dear and loving aunt to nephews Robert B. “Rob” Wignall (Lynn) and Jonathan “Jon” Wignall (Becky), both of Parker, CO, and to niece Kara Elder (Marc) of Colorado Springs; a loving and generous great-aunt to Trevor Wignall (Miranda) of Parker, and Dustin Elder of Salt Lake City, UT; and will be a role model and inspiration to the sweetest little bundle of love and joy you ever did see, Janice’s great-great-niece Rylee Jean Wignall.

In accordance with Janice’s last wishes, we will hold no formal memorial service for her. However, instead of spending your hard earned money on flowers, we know she would smile if you held your own “memorial party” in her honor. Get together with some friends for tea or coffee, or a mai tai or two, play music, and tell some stories about your friendship with Janice, and laugh. She would like that. If you want to make a donation in Janice’s name, she selected the Happy Cats Haven, https://happycatshaven.org/ , 327 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829, 719-362-4600.