Anna Laura Mitchell, our beloved Mama, was born 90 years ago in Scranton, Kansas (just south of Topeka) to Orrin and Gertrude Nicolay, a Swedish-German couple. Mama was the sixth of eight children. She graduated from Topeka High School in 1944. She met Lt Sandefer Mitchell (Papa) in 1948 in Topeka, Kansas. They married and honeymooned in Pittsburg, California, before Papa deployed to Guam.

Mama rejoined Papa in Guam, arriving on a not-so-first-class military transport, dressed in an expensive fancy new green dress she bought specially for the reunion with Papa. Papa picked her up in a borrowed military jeep and, due to poor road conditions, Mama's new fancy dress was splattered with road tar. Road tar or not, Mama was so happy to be with her love, Papa.

Mama was a wonderful and devoted wife, and mother of three boys - Mark, Randy and Terry. For a small town Kansas girl, she and Papa and family sure traveled a lot - from Topeka to California to DC to upstate New York to France, Belgium, Okinawa, to name a few.

In 1965, Mama and Papa moved to Houston after Papa retired from the Army, where she continued to be devoted to Papa and her children and her faith community at Bethel Independent Presbyterian Church.
In 2014, Mama and Papa moved to Georgetown, Texas, to be close to her three sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mama passed away peacefully on the Friday after Christmas with her family. Mama was and is a generous and ever-giving Child of God who will be greatly missed by all of us. We grieve and celebrate boldly her life of faithful, loving service.

Papa, her three sons, two daughters-in-law, six grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and a brother survive Mama.

A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 10:00 AM at Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home in Georgetown, Texas.

Mama always loved the work of the House of Hope in Haiti; she would love donations to be made to this ministry in her memory. (http://www.projecthouseofhope.com/)

Arrangements by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas 78628 (512)863-2564.