Wilma Karen (McCormick) Mitchel

Wilma Karen (McCormick) Mitchel passed away on Sunday, June 26, 2022 at her home in Colchester.  She and her twin brother were born in Chicago, IL on April 23, 1947 and later moved to West Hartford, where she grew up.  Wil is survived by her husband, James Mitchel of Colchester, and their much loved sons, Andrew Mitchel and his wife Emily Wick of San Diego, CA and Thomas Mitchel of Manhattan. She is also survived by her niece, Ginny McCormick, of Norman, OK. In addition, she leaves brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law in Oklahoma and Ohio. She was preceded in death by her twin brother Thomas McCormick and their parents, Roger and Marge McCormick, and her always loving Teta (aunt), Irene.

Wil graduated from Hall High School and Southern CT State University with BS and MS degrees in education and statistics. Wil and Jim were longtime residents of Glastonbury until moving to Colchester six years ago. She taught in Windsor Public Schools before leaving to raise her sons.  Later she returned to work at Glastonbury High School as the Special Education Transition Coordinator. After her retirement Wil worked for several years as a private tutor.  She truly enjoyed helping students and she took a personal interest in each one of them. However, her proudest job was being a mother to her two sons. She was involved in many of their youthful activities, including Cub Scout den mother, CCD teacher, volunteer at their schools. Wil never missed any of their games or meets.

Wil was a faithful Catholic and tried to say her Rosary every day.  She was a past parishioner at St. Paul’s and St Dunstan’s in Glastonbury and most recently of St. Andrew’s in Colchester. She was a proud Democrat and always sided with the more liberal and less popular ideas.  She was generous and kind. Helping the down trodden and people at risk was always important to her.  She could never pass someone with his hand out without reaching in her pocketbook. If someone was ill she made it her business to deliver meals to them. In recent years she became committed to helping at the Covenant House Soup Kitchen in Willimantic.  That was right up her alley – feeding and cooking for people. Wil had an unlimited capacity for humanitarianism.  She truly believed that all people are equal – it did not matter what they looked like, where they were from, or what they believed. She was ahead of her time in her thinking. She always said that the blessings she got from the spirit of giving made her the happiest.

Wil had an outgoing personality, liked to laugh, and didn’t take life too seriously.  She will be missed by her many friends who were so special in her life. She loved her friends from her high school and college days, from her old life in Glastonbury, and from North Woods Community in Colchester and “The Others,” whom she and Jim had many travelling adventures with.  One of her biggest enjoyments was swimming and she always liked her Water Aerobics classes and the other old timers she met there. Her Saturdays in the fall were taken up watching college football. She was an ardent Notre Dame fan and  loved texting back and forth with her son Andy during the games.   Wil was one of Billy Joel’s most faithful admirers.  She knew all of the lyrics to all of his songs and was so happy to be able to attend so many of his concerts, especially the one in Madison Square Garden (floor seats!) with her son Tommy.

Wil would want to thank her specialized doctors at Hartford Hospital, especially Drs. Jarrod Post, Jason Gluck, Jeff Walden, and the late Richard Kates, who all extended her life time and again and took such good care of her. Wil struggled with several health challenges and suffered almost constant pain, yet she was grateful for every day and did her best to get up and out and have fun. She would want to leave you with one final thought, “Life is short…live it up while you can.  Work on that bucket list.” Calling hours will be held on Friday, July 1, 2022 from 9 to 10:40 AM at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Rd, Colchester, CT with an 11 AM funeral mass at St. Andrew Church, Guardian Angels Parish 128 Norwich Ave, Colchester, CT. Burial will follow in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Glastonbury. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to The Covenant Soup Kitchen, 220 Valley St., Willimantic, CT 06226 or for the Community Free Lunch Program at Guardian Angels Parish, 128 Norwich Ave., Colchester, CT 06415. 

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