Yale University

In Memoriam

Jock Mitchell


Jock Mitchell
1964 graduation

Jock Mitchell was remembered at a Memorial Service in Battell Chapel on June 5, 2009 during our 45th reunion. Below are:

Memorial Service reading

by Richard Horgan, '64

John Clark Mitchell, III, known to many of us as "Jock", died on June 9, 2008 in his beloved native state of Colorado.

Jock came to us by way of the Denver Country Day School and Philips Academy in Andover. His grandfather, his father and two of his uncles were Yale grads, going back as far as 1907.

At Yale he was an English major, a resident of Dwight Hall and then Calhoun College where he played on the intramural tackle football, touch football and softball teams. He was an officer of Zeta Psi fraternity, perhaps because he actively studied mixology under the watchful eye of bartender Ernie Huggins. Jock got a set of wheels in his sophomore year and loved going on weekend road trips to Smith, Briarcliff, UConn and New York City.

After Yale, he graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law and practiced real-estate law in Denver. He then went on to a successful sales career in commercial real estate, and in recent years he returned to the private practice of law.

Jock loved the Rocky Mountains. He was a member and a past president of the Colorado Arlberg Club, and was often seen skiing out of the Club's private lodge near Winter Park, Colorado. When the snows melted, he took off his skis and went sailing in an alpine lake in Colorado. He was an active sailor and past commodore of the Grand Lake Yacht Club, at 8400 feet the highest-elevation yacht club in the country. And when the winters got too cold in Denver, he could often be found sailing in the Caribbean. All this skiing and sailing made him thirsty, so he became an active member of the Wine and Food Society.

He was also passionate about preserving that which is uniquely Colorado. He was an active supporter of the Denver Botanic Gardens (where there is a gathering hall named after his family) and the Colorado Historical Society. He loved history and was a self-appointed archivist devoted to preserving the legacy of Colorado's past.

Jock knew how to live well and understood his obligation to give back to his community and his state. He is sorely missed by his wife Nancy, his brother Clark, his sister Joan, and his many friends. For Jock's sake, I pray that Heaven looks a little bit like Colorado.

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Obituary

Denver Newspaper Agency

Born in Denver to the late John Clark Mitchell, II and Nancy Kountze Mitchell on August 12, 1942, died June 9, 2008 after a brief illness. John is survived by his wife Nancy, his sister, Joan Whitbeck, brother, Clark Mitchell, and numerous other relatives.

Jock grew up in Jefferson County, attended Denver Country Day School, Phillips Andover Academy, Yale University and the University of Colorado School of Law. Jock began his legal career with the Denver law firm of Sherman & Howard before joining Fuller & Company Commercial Real Estate Sales. Thereafter, he maintained a private law practice specializing in real estate.

Jock was an active member and Past Commodore of the Grand Lake Yacht Club, member and past President of the Colorado Arlberg Club, member of the Wine and Food Society and a member of the Denver Botanic Garden's Endowment Committee. Jock loved sailing, in particular, sailing in the Caribbean Islands. Jock was also passionate about preserving that which is uniquely Colorado. He could always be counted on to be the voice of the original founding members of both the Grand Lake Yacht Club and the Colorado Arlberg Club to ensure that both club's traditions were honored and the integrity maintained.

A private burial service will be held later in the week. A gathering honoring Jock's life will be held at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Mitchell Hall, 12:00 pm, Tuesday, June 17, 2008. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in his memory be made to either the Denver Botanic Gardens, 909 York Street, Denver, CO, 80206 or the Colorado Historical Society, 1300 Broadway, Denver, CO. 80203, attn: Development.

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