Perry Mitchell

Perry Mitchell came onto this earth on May 30, 1944, in Rome, MS. He was born to
Alberta Cosey Mitchell (later Downing) and Perry Mitchell Sr. The elder Mitchell was
murdered by the KKK, when Perry was a baby. Later his mother remarried. He was
raised by his stepfather, Charles Leon “Shorty” Downing. The family moved from
Mississippi to Marion, OH, when young Perry was 3 years old. When all was said and
done, he became one of 11 children. He was the middle child.
Perry was educated in the Marion Public School System. He graduated in 1962 from
Warren G. Harding High School. Perry Mitchell was a genius, the dictionary definition
of one. He had a high I.Q. He excelled in games that used strategy like chess, poker,
and backgammon. He was a great debater, using skill, logic, and his knowledge of
history to prove his points. Not too many people could best him.Perry loved sports. He
even managed his older daughter’s softball team for 3 years. As with anyone who grew
up in north central Ohio, he was a very big Cleveland Browns fan. Perry was an avid
reader. He loved to watch martial arts and cowboy movies. He was also a fan of Star
Trek(a trekker).
He married the late Rosabell(Cofer), also of Marion, OH, in 1966.They met in the third
grade. She was also in the Class of 1962. They had two daughters.
Perry went into the U.S. Air Force right after high school. There he learned about
electronics, which served him well. During his tenure there, he was stationed in Austin,
TX and Las Vegas, NV. He served in the Vietnam War. He left the military in 1970. By
1971, he had moved back east.
Perry worked for Xerox Corp.in Rochester, NY for two decades designing copiers. He
even helped them earn a U.S. Patent. His colleagues graduated from Harvard, Yale,
and M.I.T. They admired his wealth and generosity of knowledge.. Every summer he
took a new intern under his wing, even bringing them home to meet his family. His
mentees came from all over the world: the U.S., Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, China, Puerto
Rico, the Netherlands, and many other places. It was like he brought the world home.
He often created computers in his free time. It was all-encompassing. He moved from
his home office into the family room. There were hard drives in the foyer, monitors under
the dining room table, keyboards on the coffee table, and microchips on the window
sills. His family was the first one to have a computer in the neighborhood. He was a
good provider. His children grew up in a nice home that even had a pool. They had a
good education.

Perry had a period of a rough time. He would do odd jobs like build and repair bicycles
for the neighborhood children. Eventually he came back to Marion, Ohio to be near his
family. Perry was gregarious and generous to a fault to family and friends alike. He will
be missed.
Perry left this earth on August 17, 2022. He leaves behind two daughters: Danielle and
Rianne Mitchell(Jeff DeToro), granddaughter Rosabelle “Rosie” all of Rochester, NY, an
adopted daughter, Letitia Owens, two brothers Lorenza “Boo” Jones and Willie Winters,
two sisters Lenora Mayes(Johnnie) and Renee Downing all from Marion, and a host of
niblings (nieces & nephews), and cousins who took care of him in his old age. His
mother, father, stepfather, five brothers, one sister, his former wife, and one step brother
preceded him in death.