Hal Mitchell

Burlington- Hal Frederick Mitchell, born November 11, 1932, in Glen Raven, North Carolina, died July 2 at his home following a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife Imogene; daughter and son-in-law Sabrina and Keith Oliver; granddaughter Lauren Oliver, and great-granddaughters Savanna Johnson and Olivia Younger; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was born the last of nine children to Charles Shirley and Georgia Anna Apple Mitchell of Burlington. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister's Jessie Mitchell, Alene Barrett, Lydia "Tot" Bookout, and Gertrude "Pepper" Gant; and brothers Bill, Desmond, Charles, and Bert. A lady's man, Hal took great pride in doting on all the girls in his life - wife, daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughters. An early morning riser, he loved to whistle and hum. He was an avid Redskins fan, public servant, U.S. Marine "Once a Marine, Always a Marine", lover of classical music, left hand golfer and ball player. The youngest of nine siblings, Hal was the apple of his sisters' eyes. The girls bought him all kinds of toys and his Dad saw to it that he had a wagon, pulled by a goat; until the goat butted Papa's new car and then the goat had to go. Hal's mother said that the boy believed that when the whistles blew and the horns sounded on November 11, it was in celebration of his birthday! His favorite pastimes as a kid were "slipping off" and swimming in Glen Raven pond and hunting squirrels in the then heavily wooded surrounding areas. As a teenager, Hal worked behind the meat counter at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store. He attended Walter Williams High School until his senior year when he made the decision to join the U.S. Marine Corps. Hal served in the US Marine Corps where he achieved the rank of Sergeant, in "E" Company, Second Battalion, 6th Marines, Second Marine Division, FMF, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During a tour of the Mediterranean in August 1953, his division - the Expeditionary Forces - conducted a recovery mission after an earthquake did extensive damage to the Ionian Islands off of the coast of Greece. That tour of duty left Morehead City, NC in April 1953 and hit ports of call from Gibraltar to France, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Sardinia, and Crete before returning to Morehead City in October. After finishing his enlistment with the Marines, Hal returned to Burlington and got a job with Burlington Industries, where he met his soon to be wife, Imogene Hogan. She was a beautiful gal from the mountains of North Carolina that immediately stole his heart. The two were married on January 31, 1955, just six months after their first date, in Glen Raven Methodist Church. The two celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in 2013. Hal attended Elon College thanks to the GI Bill and had a degree in Business Administration. He worked as a cost accountant for Burlington Industries, in Burlington and then Falk Fibers and Fabrics in Hillsborough. He made a career move in 1980 when he became Manager for the Town of Haw River. He retired there in 1996. In retirement he worked for the City of Burlington as a park attendant at Lake MacIntosh until 2007. While Hal and Imogene had only one child, their daughter Sabrina changed all that on August 21, 1976 when she married Keith Oliver. Keith and Hal were fast friends, and Hal often said that he didn't just get a son-in-law out of the deal, he got a son. And Keith loved Hal like a father. Hal often recited the Marine Corps motto of "Semper Fi" always faithful. It's because his life was a testament to that motto always faithful to those he loved. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 14 at 3 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church located at 1732 W Davis St, Burlington, NC 27215. A reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Faith United Methodist Church or Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance Caswell, 914 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington,