Obituary of Joan H Mitchell

Joan Hildegarde Mitchell (nee Bishop), 84, passed away suddenly in June of 2024 at her home in Bushkill, PA. 

Joan was born in 1939 to Frederick E. and Johanna Bishop (nee Franken) and grew up in Fort Lee, NJ.  She earned a degree in Opera Performance from Mannes College of Music in Manhattan, where she met her future husband of 62 years, Robert Mitchell. 

After years devoted to raising her two sons and working as a medical secretary, Joan, along with her husband Bob, followed a calling into the ministry.  The two attended night classes together for seven years to complete a Masters in Divinity from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1998.  She would go on to serve as minister at Marbletown Reformed Church in Stone Ridge, NY, until 2006, as well as several parishes in Pennsylvania since.  At the time of her passing, she had been the minister of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Albrightsville, PA.  Her undying devotion to her faith and her ministry was complimented by an unconditional love of dogs, her daily attention to various knitting projects, and her belief that every room in the world should double as a library and reading space.

Joan is predeceased by her parents Frederick E. and Johanna Bishop in 1985, her older brother, Frederick P. in 1994, and sister-in-law Helen in 2019.  She is survived by her husband, Robert P., as well as her oldest son, Robert P. II, and his daughters Kathryn and Sophie, and her youngest son Randolph, and his wife Marlena, son Luke, and daughter Lila.

There will be a memorial service on August 10th at 12:00PM at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1302 N. Old Stage Rd., Albrightsville, PA 18210. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to any of the following charities that Joan supported: 

• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105; 800-805-5856
• Habitat for Humanity, 285 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Suite 2700, Atlanta, GA 30303; 800-422-4828
• World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063; 888.511.6548