Roger Ernest Mitchell

roger mitchell
died suddenly but peacefully on 8th august 2008
aged 72
eccentric with a heart of gold
Librarian with love of books(his house was full off them) and classical music and playing the piano.
He helped out at a charity shop and had a large friend base in both kettering and birmingham.
Also had a large fondness for cats and many of them visited his garden.

will be sadly missed by his family and friends, Rest in peace uncle roger xx



Roger Ernest Mitchell – Funeral Speech – 3rd September 2008

Firstly I would like to say thank-you to all of you here on behalf of my Mother & all of the family of the late Roger Mitchell. I also wanted to share a little bit of what Uncle Roger meant to me, my sister Caroline our respective families.

To say that Uncle Roger was unconventional would be an understatement; he ploughed his own furrow and was his own person throughout his life. He balanced a unique combination of retaining his own privacy and space, with an openness and support to people that mattered to him.

As I am sure you all know, in addition to Gemma the cat, Roger shared his home with his music and books. If you were lucky enough to catch him at home, there is a strong chance he would be either listening to one of his many records, playing the Grand Piano that he had somehow managed to shoehorn into his lounge or spending time organising, repairing or cataloguing some of his many books. I thought it appropriate then to pay tribute to his memory by using 6 words to describe what Roger was and how I remember him.

Original

Roger was an original ‘Free Spirit’, with a unique outlook on life typified by his thoughts, beliefs and his fashion sense. He looked at everything from his own perspective before deciding how he felt about it. As for the sartorial, no matter how many new jumpers or belts he was given, he usually wore the most ‘comfortable’ (oldest) jumper and what’s the point of a belt when a piece of string does the job just as well.

Educational

Roger was a very intelligent man and knew about many things. Many Sunday’s I would use him to get the last few clues on the crossword. Where he excelled though was his ability to communicate and engage with the children in his family. He created scenarios that would make the most mundane situations fun. As children, when we went on holiday he created a game which almost became and alternate reality in which my sister and I were two dogs called Mushroom and Toadstool. From this premise he created an environment of fun for the whole time we were away. Later, he continued to delight the next generation, whether by taking my son Ben and my nephew Gareth on long walks and getting them to look at things in a different way, supporting my niece Joanna in her Vegetarianism or taking my other niece, Cara, to the churchyard in Leicester to look at the grave for a victim of the Titanic disaster. All the time he was doing these things he was helping us to learn about life, the universe and everything.

Inspirational

Not only did Roger have the ability to educate, he also made you want to learn. By providing a unique viewpoint on everything, often playing Devils Advocate, to make you both question things and also inspire you. He had a unique ability to make you want to discover and understand things.

Curmudgeonly

Roger was a kind and generous man; however he could be awkward when he choose. It was generally officialdom and in particular Local Government that bore the brunt of this side of his character. He held a particular low opinion of the Clock in Gold Street and ensured that the Council were aware of all the times that it was not working. He was a man of principle and standards, so when some institution did not demonstrate similar standards, or when he felt there was an injustice, he would stand up for himself using his weapon of choice, words. Many was the letter writing campaign he undertook and he put together some true gems I can tell you.

Generous

Like many bachelors, Roger wasn’t the greatest person at remembering birthdays, but he was lucky. He had my Mother, Mary, to do this for him. She would go out and buy presents for all and sundry and then present him with a bill that would be paid without complaint, backed up with the comment ‘I’ve had a good year with selling books and records’. Yet it wasn’t just with money Roger was generous with, it was with his time and help, both to his family & friends and also the numerous charities he assisted in his life.

Loved

Finally and most importantly is the fact that Roger was loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed by us all. The memories that he has left us with will be some solace, but I am sure that like me, you all wish we had been lucky enough to have had him around for a few more years.

Thank you.