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by Sherri R. Martin
January 15, 2016
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15
Sue Haley Mitchell was called home to glory by Jesus Christ, January 11, 2016.
Sue Mitchell was born to William and Beatrice Haley January 20, 1931 in Durham, North Carolina. She grew up with her sister Betsy in Gibsonville, North Carolina and graduated as valedictorian at Gibsonville High in 1949. Upon graduation, Sue studied at the prestigious Women’s College (now part of the University of North Carolina) in Greensboro, graduating with a degree in art. She proudly wore her college class ring her whole life.
A small town girl and southern belle, she was a world class beauty inside and out. She utterly dazzled one John “Jack” Mitchell, a handsome young professional baseball player from New Jersey. The two married in the summer 1952, and soon had two children, Shawn and Sherri, who adored them without fail and who feel to this day that they were raised by the finest parents God ever created.
In 1962, the Mitchells moved to Florida, eventually settling in Fort Walton Beach. Sue taught fifth grade at the old Fort Walton Elementary and later Elliott Point, retiring in 1987. Her lifelong friends, teachers Marianne Sullivan, Eloise King, Bea Tindol, Rosalyn Hattaway and many others, including a man she considered “the best boss ever,” her principal Ben Bowen, helped make her life professionally and personally rewarding.
Sue’s students loved her dearly. She was an excellent teacher, and inspired many to become teachers themselves. She worked tirelessly to encourage students to become the very best that they could be. Her influence has reached to the ends of the Earth and to every area of life through her countless former students. Part of this was due to the fact that, contrary to modern norms, she read the Bible to her students every day without fail. As one former student said, “My home life was a mess. Mrs. Mitchell’s classroom gave me calm and peace. She nurtured my ten year old soul.”
Indeed, Sue Mitchell nurtured everyone who knew her, her grandchildren most of all, whose lives were forever touched by her love and principled life. She ceaselessly pointed them to the Bible, and her love of Christ was unceasingly the center of her conversations with them. She and their Grandaddy, Jack, poured their lives into their grandchildren’s as few grandparents, or even parents, ever have. She was delighted to live so long as to meet her great-grandchildren as well, and her family is grieved that those little ones will not have her in their lives.
Sue’s love extended to many. She took her son-in-law Rod and daughter-in-law Ann as her own. She took Pat and Helen Tidwell as though they were her own as well, and their children as surrogate grandchildren. She delighted in all the saints at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Valparaiso and especially the members of her ladies’ Bible study: oh how she loved each and every one!
Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center provided Sue with loving care in her final months. She came to love and respect everyone there, as they gave her care above and beyond what anyone could reasonably expect. Their compassion for Sue in her final months provided much joy, both to her and to all her family.
Sue is preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband, and her dear grandson Shawn, Jr. She is survived by her sister Betsy Haley of Niceville; her son Dr. Shawn Mitchell and wife Ann of Niceville, and their children William and wife Joena Mitchell of Tampa, Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell of Portland, Oregon, Tiffany and husband Mike Kostelny of Niceville, and Krystal and husband Eric Barlaan of San Jose, California; her daughter Sherri and husband Rod Martin of Destin, and their children Dolly and husband Jerry Ledzinski of Carmel, California, Dr. Archer Martin and wife Elizabeth of Jacksonville, and Haley Martin of Atlanta, Georgia. She is also survived by her great grandchildren Katherine, Annabelle, Beatrice, Abigail, Joel, Titus and Constance.
Sue’s love for Jesus Christ was a witness to us all, and our greatest consolation is the hope we, too, have in Christ. She will be deeply missed.
Her funeral will be held January 21, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church in Niceville, at 1:00. Internment will follow immediately after at Beal Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.
— Sherri R. Martin, January 14, 2016
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
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