Billie Carolyn Mitchell

Billie Carolyn Mitchell died peacefully on Nov. 10, 2022, in Lexington, Ky. She had just turned 92.

Carolyn was born on Oct. 19, 1930. She was raised on an apple farm in Green Forest, Arkansas, by Faye and Blake McMahan, with her brother Keith, her half-brothers Rex and Rue, and her half-sister Alice.

She met the love of her life, George Ernest Mitchell Jr. – a tall, handsome, quiet drink of water – at Green Forest High School. _ey had a mostly-on-and-sometimes- o courtship that involved scores of sweet letters exchanged between Columbia, Missouri, where George went to college…and Chillicothe, Missouri, where Carolyn got a business degree… then Russellville, where she attended Arkansas Tech… and then St. Louis, where Carolyn took her st fulltime job.

When George’s eventual service placement with the Air Force was up in the air, he knew he wanted her to go with him – wherever that might be – so he visited St. Louis and popped the question at a romantic spot overlooking the Mississippi River. _ey were married a few months later, on March 14, 1952.

So began a 70-1/2-yearlong partnership between “Hun Bun,” Carolyn’s pet name for George, and his “Snickerdoodle.”

George’s service and then graduate work took them st to Maine, then back to Columbia, where their st daughter, Leslie Diane, was born, then on to Champagne- Urbana, Illinois, where they had a second daughter, Karen Leigh.

When George was recruited by the University of Kentucky in 1960, they moved to Lexington, where they made their home for the next 62 years. _e following year, they welcomed their third daughter, Cynthia Faye.

Carolyn and George were lifelong members of Southern Hills United Methodist Church, where Carolyn sang in the choir, was active in the Susannah Wesley Circle, and served for several years as a Girl Scout Troop Leader. She was a rcely loyal, caring and fun friend, though sadly she outlived all but a couple.

Together with one of her best friends, Carolyn ran a thriving antique business for many years. Her knack for decorating with those antiques and for gardening prompted the Lexington Herald- Leader to feature 690 Hill-n-Dale at least three dierent times.

But more importantly, Carolyn opened that home and her heart to scores of international graduate students whom George advised during his nearly 40 years at UK. Whether a pre-semester welcome barbecue or a lavish _anksgiving dinner, she enjoyed introducing the students to American customs and Southern hospitality.

She wanted them to view 690 Hill-n-Dale as their “home away from home” – and they did. George’s former students in 17 dierent countries gladly returned the favor, opening their homes to welcome the family on their long trip back from George’s sabbatical in New Zealand in 1974-75.

Carolyn’s unwavering support and enthusiasm for her daughters empowered them to pursue their career dreams, to conquer life’s challenges, and to raise families of their own.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Faye and Blake, by her stepbrothers Rue and Rex, and her stepsister Alice Calitri. She is survived by her brother, Keith, her husband, George, and her three daughters, Leslie Wilson, Karen Mitchell DeGrazia and Cynthia Mitchell. She is also “Gigi” to four grandchildren, Blake Wilson, Meagan Banks Metzger, Maxim Mitchell DeGrazia and Georgia Caroline Mallett, and to two great grandchildren, Meyer and Myla Metzger. She enjoyed visits from all of them in the weeks and months before she died.

Carolyn improved the lives of everyone whose path she crossed. Her zest for life is truly something to not only celebrate, but to emulate.

A celebration of her life will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 3, 2022, at the Green Forest Methodist Church, with Pastor Michael Bolin o_ciating. In lieu of _owers, George asks that you make a donation to the church of your choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service. Online condolences may be sent to the family at nelsonfuneral.com.