Louise Wishart Mitchell

Louise Mitchell was born on September 2, 1932, in Kalispell. She grew up on her parent’s wheat barley farm near Whitefish with her brother, Jimmy and sister, Rosemarie. She walked a mile and a half to a one room country school from first to eighth grade. She attended high school at Loyola Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula. She earned her associates degree in elementary education at the University of Great Falls and later returned graduating in 1978 with a BA in Education. She lovingly taught school children in St. Louis, Eureka, Big Stone Colony, and Great Falls. She married Fergus Mitchell in 1954. They lived in Anaconda where all three of their children were born, Frank, John, and Margaret. In 1967, they moved to Great Falls where she became an active member in the community. She taught piano, organ, guitar, and violin for over 50 years sharing her love of music. She played organ and violin for St. Ann’s Catholic Cathedral, as well as belonging to a local fiddler group. Many of you may have seen Louise running on the river’s edge trail where she trained daily. She ran her first full marathon at 58 and her last one at 79. Running the Ice Breaker every year until she was 86. She inspired many to take up running and to reach goals they thought they could never achieve. She loved sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Many babies were lucky to receive her trademark booties when they came into this world. She loved to garden and to turn her raspberries into delicious award-winning jam and her rhubarb into heartwarming pies. She passed peacefully in her sleep after a long hard fight with ovarian cancer. She was 89. Louise was preceded in death by her husband, Fergus Mitchell; parents, Rose Burkhardt and David Blaine Wishart; brother, James; and son, Frank Mitchell. She is survived by her son, John Mitchell married to Carey Mitchell; daughter, Margaret Mitchell married to Louis Ippolito; grandchildren, Tesla Mitchell, Delia Mitchell, and Evan Mitchell, great-grandchildren, Kaison, Jaxon, and Amelia. A family and friends memorial will be held at O’Connor Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, January 19, at 6:00 pm. A funeral liturgy will be held at St. Ann’s Cathedral Thursday, January 20, at noon. Instead of flowers please make a donation in Louise’s name to one of her favorite charities Toby House: https://tobyshousemt.org/donate/.