Kevin
P. Mitchell, 64, died unexpectedly on the morning of October 1, 2024.
Kevin was working hard toward regaining his strength in the
rehabilitation program at Birchwood Terrace, following a recent
hospitalization.
Kevin
grew up in Burlington, Vt. He fell in love with playing sports,
excelling in soccer and baseball. His accomplishments were often
highlighted in the Burlington Free Press, scoring goals or
hitting home runs. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1978
and went on to play baseball at the University of New Haven in
Connecticut. Kevin attended for a year before returning to Vermont to
begin a career as a lineman. He was able to continue his love for the
game of baseball by joining the Burlington A’s, with the wonderful
opportunity of being able to both play and coach.
Kevin
later transitioned to coaching soccer at Rice Memorial High School.
Beginning as an assistant for the girls’ team, he flawlessly rolled
into a head coaching role, then took on the boys’ varsity team in
1988. He was a decorated coach with many winning seasons, two state
championships and opportunities to coach the Lions Cup-Twin State
team, and he was also inducted into the Rice-Cathedral Hall of Fame.
Kevin was able to further his coaching at Rice by joining as an
assistant to the varsity baseball team.
Kevin
had an outstanding 36-year career at Burlington Electric Department
working as a lineman and crew leader. It was there he met the love of
his life, Cheryl, marrying in 1989. They went on to grow their
family, welcoming a daughter, Ashley, and son, Keegan. Kevin was so
proud of his family, taking any opportunity to teach, coach or brag
about them. There is no doubt that he was meant to be a father to his
children and build a beautiful life with his family. He was ecstatic
to welcome son-in-law Nick and daughter-in-law Mariah, the perfect
partners for his kids. Kevin was even more elated to become a
grandfather (“Pa”) to his Lily and Finley.
Kevin
and his family faced a challenging diagnosis of frontotemporal
degeneration (FTD) in spring 2023, following extensive testing and
indicators that had been slowly progressing over a few years. During
this past year, Kevin’s FTD symptoms began to progress, limiting
his mobility and ability to care for himself or communicate in a
normal capacity. However, as difficult as this diagnosis and
progression was, it never impacted Kevin’s ability to show his love
and devotion to his family.
Kevin
made the biggest impact on so many people around him. From Little
League to rec soccer, club teams and TOPSoccer, he shared his passion
for coaching. He was an outstanding role model, mentor and friend.
Kevin welcomed everyone into his life with open arms and without
judgment. He was a remarkable partner, father, grandfather and uncle.
He
is survived by his loving wife, Cheryl; daughter, Ashley
Mitchell-Ringuette; son, Keegan, and his wife, Maria; grandchildren,
Lily and Finley Ringuette; sister, Shari LeBlanc, and her husband,
Doug; in-laws, Jerry and Rita Snyder; and sister-in-law, Shelly
Corley, her husband, Tim, and their children, Colton and Kylie. Kevin
was predeceased by his parents, Alan and Pearl Mitchell, and
son-in-law, Nick Ringuette.
A
casual celebration of life will be held in his honor on Sunday,
October 20, 2 to 5 p.m., at Catamount Country Club, 1400 Mountain
View Rd., Williston, VT. His family requests that those who wish to
express sympathy consider making a donation to the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration in Kevin’s name. Arrangements are in
the care of LaVigne Funeral & Cremation Service. To send
condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes.com.
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2024.