Joanne Mitchell (Hugel) Service Information

Joanne “Josie” Hugel Mitchell died Sunday, June 6, 2021, at her home in Doylestown, PA, surrounded by her loving family. She was 72.

Born July 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of the late John George, Jr. and Mary Dorothy Maloy Hugel and the beloved wife of James A. Mitchell, to whom she was married 46 years.

Josie grew up in Franklin Square, NY, and moved with her family to South Bend, IN as a teenager. After attending Woodstock in 1969 and graduating from Boston University with a degree in English Literature in 1970, she moved to Bucks County, where she taught English at New Hope Solebury High/Middle School for 37 years.

Josie, or as her former students might recall her, “Mrs. Mitchell,” cared for her pupils and constantly supported the “underdogs.” She once shared the following advice to new teachers: “Practice respecting and valuing differences; accept nothing less from your students. Ask for help. Apologize when you’re wrong. Pay attention to those kids who avoid attention. Admit that you’re never perfect. Let them see you laugh at yourself and learn from your failures. HAVE FUN! If you learn as much from the kids each day as they learn from what you say and do, then you’re a teacher.”

Unrestrained laughter and heartfelt joy were customary ingredients of any time together with Josie. Often sharing poignant life advice with her husband and sons, she also enjoyed fixing flowers for friends in pleasantly old-fashioned vases; she had a way of making you feel comfortable, unique, and loved. From cheering on in the stands at her sons’ lacrosse, baseball, football, basketball, or soccer games with her signature “woop,” to becoming the number one fan of college lacrosse teams that her son coached, Josie was devoted to her family and friends in spirit and love. Over decades she also cared for the beloved family cats and reveled in a good snuggle with Alice, Portia, Cindy, Buddy, Samsonite, Jasper, Layla, and Lilian.

Josie had a kind and resilient soul. Chemotherapy is known to sap one’s energy and yet only weeks before she passed, Josie could be heard deftly whistling famed arias from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Even when fatigue struck, her spirit remained indefatigable.

Josie and her family resided in Doylestown for 49 years. In addition to her husband, Josie is survived by her son James R. Mitchell, and wife Eileen, of Princeton, NJ, and her son Ryan M. Mitchell, and fiancé Laura Green, of Historic New Castle, DE, and her beloved grandchildren, Lila Joanne Mitchell and Jack James Mitchell. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in passing by brother John George Hugel and sister Mary Dorothy Hugel.

A celebration of Joanne’s life will occur at 6:00 PM on Friday, July 2, 2021—what would have been her 73^rd birthday—with calling hours from 4:00 PM until the time of service at Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home at 241 East Butler Avenue in New Britain, PA 18901. Interment will take place privately at a later time.

Visitors are encouraged to use personal discretion when deciding whether to wear a mask at the celebration.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Joanne’s honor to the Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia at Gilda's Club, at 200 Kirk Road, Warminster, PA 18974, or by going online to https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H465AWMUDM2LC&source=url.

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