William "Bill" Gerald Mitchell

September 12, 1943 - October 5, 2019

William “Bill” Gerald Mitchell, 76, of Blakesburg, Iowa passed away on October 5, 2019 at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. He was born September 12, 1943 in Centerville, Iowa to Ralph Conner and Wilma M. Starr Mitchell. In 1961, he graduated from Bloomfield High School and a year later he married Edna Fern Jones on April 22, 1962 in Davis County, Iowa. The couple had two sons; Danny in 1964 and Sam in 1966. Bill worked as a mechanic for area John Deere Dealerships for over 40 years. In his free time, he enjoyed going to auctions, woodworking, camping, and tinkering in his garage on lawn mowers and tractors. He especially loved spending time with his family. Bill served on the Blakesburg City Council for several years. He is survived by his wife, Fern Mitchell; two granddaughters, Dakota Mitchell of Centerville, Iowa, Autumnn Mitchell of Moulton, Iowa; two grandsons, Cory (Brittany) Bedford of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Dakota Lee Evans of Moulton; brother-in-law, Eddie (Karin) Jones of Weslaco, Texas; two sisters-in-law, Jean Mitchell of Bloomfield, Twila Jones of Newton, Iowa; two daughters-in-law, Donna Drummond of Centerville, Stacy Mitchell of Moulton; several nieces and nephews; and numerous friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sons, Danny and Sam Mitchell; grandparents, Tom and Thelma Starr, Orly and Josephine Mitchell; great-grandparents, Sam and Stella Johnson; brother, James Mitchell; sister, Nadine Richmond; brothers-in-law, Glen Jones, Dale Jones; sister-in-law, Ruby Cormeny; and father-and-mother-in-law, Herbert and Pearl Arnold. Memorial services will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at the Wagler Funeral Home in Bloomfield with Pastor Bill Eakins officiating. Visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday with the family present to greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until the time of the service. A memorial has been established to the Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society.