William "Bill" King Mitchell

Columbia, South Carolina - William "Bill" King Mitchell, 82, retired sports writer for The State, died Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at Agape - Lexington Community Hospice House after a year's struggle with liver cancer.

Bill was born February 2, 1941 in Columbia and was adopted in May by his parents John Raine Mitchell and Virginia King Mitchell, originally from Wentworth, Rockingham County, NC. He lived his entire life in his family's Shandon neighborhood home until his health declined in 2021.

Bill graduated from Dreher High School in 1959. He received his bachelors (1963) and masters (1971) degrees in history from the University of South Carolina.

He taught and coached girls' basketball at Midway High School in Cassett and taught at Dreher High School in Columbia.

Known as "Coach" among his colleagues, Bill covered sports, particularly high school, for The State 1965-2000 and free-lanced for the High School Sports Report and the Associated Press until 2010. He followed Cayce-Congaree’s American Legion baseball, including championships to Arizona and Puerto Rico. He received the Ambrose G. Hampton award from The State for excellence in page design.

An avid stamp collector, he was a member and former officer of the Columbia Philatelic Society and member of the Charlotte Philatelic Society. He was a lifetime member of Shandon United Methodist Church and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was an Eagle Scout.

He was a supporter of the once-endangered giant panda and had an extensive collection of panda stamps and memorabilia.

Bill is survived by his wife Sandra Corley Mitchell, originally from Edgefield County, brother-in-law David Boylston and niece Ginny Boylston Crowder (Scott) of Wilmington, NC; nephew John Boylston (Jackie) of Columbia; and cousins in Mount Airy and Winston-Salem, NC area. He was predeceased by his sister Margaret Mitchell Boylston of Wilmington, NC, and brother- in-law Mark Corley of Columbia.

No services are planned. Burial is at Greenlawn Memorial Park.

Memorials may be made to World Wildlife Fund, earmarked for giant panda research, 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, N.W., P.O. Box 97180, Washington, DC 20090-7180; or https://www.worldwildlife.org/

Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family. Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.