Former resident of Wetipquin, Maryland Pearline Winola Mitchell, 91, died February 6, 2014, in the Salisbury facility of Genesis HealthCare. Her funeral service and burial will be held Sunday, February 16, 2014 at Friendship Methodist United Church in Wetipquin, Maryland. Viewing will take place at Jolley Memorial Chapel in Salisbury, Maryland on Saturday February 15, 2014 from 7 to 9 pm.
Mrs. Mitchell was born September 12, 1922, in Wetiquin, Maryland, to Edward and Victoria. (Bailey) Taylor. She graduated from Salisbury High School in 1939. She married James L. Mitchell on March 1941 in Wetipquin, Maryland. In 1988, at the age of 65, Mrs. Mitchell enrolled in college the first time at Salisbury University. In 2001, after 13 years of attending school part-time she graduated with a degree in Creative Writing. During her time at Salisbury University she traveled to London England. Mrs. Mitchell became a widower in 1990 after 49 years of marriage to James L. Mitchell.
She is survived by six of her brothers and sisters, Edward, Larry, Elva, Amelia, Christine, and Victoria; five of her seven children, Joyce, Jerome (Joseph), Ronald, David and Bryant (Helen); and fifteen grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren, and 16 great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, James; her brothers and sister Ethel, Mabel and Victor; her daughter Linda; and her son James, and her grandson Kevin.
Mrs. Mitchell has been writing poetry, short stories, and other fiction for own personal use and the enjoyment of friends and family for over 60 years. During this period, she has authored 8 short stories, 41 poems, lyrics to several songs and numerous plays and skits. Mrs. Mitchell’s literary works have been published in Salisbury University’s Scarab, the Salisbury Advertiser, and the American Poetry Annual. In addition, her works have been broadcasted on WESM (FN91.3), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s public radio station.
Mrs. Mitchell has resided in the small rural Eastern Shore community of Wetipquin, Maryland for all but two of her 91 years. Besides writing, one of her other passion is gardening. As a result, she derives much of the material used in her works from her study of nature and her many varied challenging life experiences.
Mrs. Mitchell has been writing a long time, writing has been a joy to her. Writing has enriched my soul, and kept her looking “up” for better things. Writing has given her a sense of accomplishment, not only for her, but also for others. She would say by being committed to her home with seven children, was the reason she began a writing career. She watched my children’s habits, joy and frustration over the simplest things about them. This gave her the incentive to capture the same joys and delights that they were experiencing; therefore she dug into their imagination and was able to come up with a song or poem that was really intriguing. She can say with confidence that she owe all of my songs, poems, and stories to my children.
Mrs. Mitchell could discern the climate of each child’s characteristics; therefore it gave her a variety of ideas for each poem, prose or skit that she wrote. The children explosive imagination did this for her. She found a joy and working living close to nature. While, she observed her children’s innocent replay, she was able to appreciate nature’s beautiful surroundings. These were the two things that intrigued her most, hence gave her a background for a writing career. Each child in his or her way empowered my thinking whether it was Joyce, Jimmy, Jerome, Ronald, David Linda, or Bryant. Jerome, her third child inspired her to write her first meaningful poem because of a keen devotion he had for his little buddy Wayne. The Pearline W. Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established
“...He restoreth my soul..” 23 PSALM