Robert "Bob" Revell Mitchell Jr.'s Obituary
Robert (Bob) Revell Mitchell Jr., 74, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, passed away suddenly on October 28, 2022.
Bob was born on December 18, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was raised in nearby Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Following a brief stint as a pharmacy assistant in Philadelphia after high school, Bob joined the Air Force in 1968 and was transferred to Sunnyvale, California where he operated early computer systems supporting reconnaissance satellite missions. After leaving the Air Force in 1974, and building on his natural aptitude for technology, Bob began working in the nascent computer industry in the Silicon Valley at Control Data Corporation. In 1985 he moved with his family to Spotsylvania, Virginia and continued working in the computer industry across the next three decades at many companies and organizations, including Northrup Grumman and the United States Coast Guard.
Bob had a wide variety of interests and hobbies, and was always eager to get involved in causes he cared about. In the late 1980s he co-founded the Spotsylvania County Litter Control Committee, which drafted and advocated for the passage of Spotsylvania County’s first litter ordinance and also coordinated outreach with local schools and community groups to raise awareness of environmental issues. Bob had a deep interest in genealogy, which intersected with his love of technology, and he was part of the wave of early adopters using home computers to digitize genealogical records. From the early 1980s through the early 1990s he created and distributed an international monthly newsletter for users of Family Roots, an early genealogy software program. While his children were young, he was a volunteer youth recreational soccer coach and referee for many years. Bob was also an avid home cook, who greatly enjoyed trying out the latest gadgets and recipes. But above all other pursuits, Bob had a lifelong involvement in Scouting that started in his youth when he achieved the rank of Life Scout. Across nearly 30 years he served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and later the Committee Chairman at Boy Scout Troop 171 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. As a leader in Scouting, he helped many young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, including both of his sons.
Bob is survived by his loving wife of 21 years, Helen Mitchell (McKee). He was the proud father of four children, who survive him: Robert Revell Mitchell III of Portland, Oregon and Jennifer Mitchell Pauli of Chapel Hill, North Carolina (both from his prior marriage to Loretta Rodrigues of Spotsylvania, Virginia) and Helen’s children, Rachel Ross of Hartsville, South Carolina and Andrew Ross of Spotsylvania, Virginia. He was a loving grandfather and is survived by five grandchildren: Spencer and Davis Mitchell, the children of Robert and his wife Teresa Breen, and Elijah, Aliyah, and Mariah Pauli, the children of Jennifer and her husband Elliott Pauli. Additionally, he is survived by his sister, Elisabeth Cox of Green Valley, Arizona.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Revell Mitchell Sr. and Elisabeth Pauline Mitchell of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
Visitation will be held at 11am on Thursday, November 10, 2022, followed by a service at 12 pm, at Found and Sons Funeral Chapels, 10719 Courthouse Rd., Fredericksburg.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the SPCA in Fredericksburg (fredspca.org).
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