Carol Mitchell

Worcester-Carol (Kosnow) Mitchell, 80, of Worcester, formerly of Winslow, Maine passed away Sunday, May 24 in St. Vincent Hospital where she was surrounded by her family.

The oldest of six, Carol was born on February 3, 1946, in Bayonne, New Jersey, to Joseph and Concetta “Tina” (Colello) Kosnow. Carol’s early education was through the parochial school system in Portland, ME where she attended St. Patrick’s Catholic School and Cathedral High School. She graduated with a BA from St. Joseph’s College, Standish, ME. After raising her family, Carol, with her typical tenacity and determination, wanted to further her education and received her Master of Social Work from Boston College and a Post Graduate Degree in Family Therapy at Smith College, Northampton, MA.

Following graduation, she held internships at Kennebec Valley Mental Health Center in Waterville, ME and Togus Veteran’s Hospital in Augusta, ME., before entering private practice focusing on psychotherapy as a licensed clinical social worker. Carol truly had a gift and helped so many people for nearly 30 years, before retiring.

Throughout her life, Carol was devoted to working for peace and social justice and helping those less fortunate and in need. She was heavily involved with Pax Christi and Catholic Charities in Waterville, ME spreading the word of non-violence, peace, and Jesus’ teachings locally, statewide, and beyond, making several trips abroad including Mexico, Nicaragua, and Medjugorje, Bosnia. She was also instrumental, along with her dear friends Diane Bryan and Joan Sandy, in establishing a weekend soup kitchen at Notre Dame Parish in Waterville, ME.

Carol found great joy in gardening, creating an oasis of flowers, shrubbery, and plants of all varieties at her home in Winslow for herself, with family and friends, to savor its tranquility and peace. When mobility made that more difficult, she wasn’t deterred and began doing the same on a smaller scale, in raised plant boxes on the deck and pergola at her home in Worcester. Birds naturally were drawn to these beautiful havens, and she took delight in watching all the feathered creatures that visited.

Carol also enjoyed playing ‘Words with Friends’, a good game of scrabble, doing puzzles, and playing cards with anyone who would ante-up. Though it got more difficult as her health declined, she loved planning and hosting (for which she had a natural gift) get-togethers at her home as well and managed to do so right up until the end.

She leaves her husband of 58 years, Richard C. Mitchell; two children, Heather Mitchell of Worcester and Dr. Jamie Mitchell (Lori) of Tampa, FL; two grandchildren, Noah and Alessandra Mitchell of OH; four siblings, Joseph Kosnow of Old Town, ME, Kathleen Kosnow of Portland, ME, John Kosnow of Thomaston, ME, and Laurie Morris of Portland, ME; several nieces and nephews and an extended family and group of friends. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister Dianne Allen of Charlestown, N.H.

Carol’s family would like to thank all the family, friends, and her ‘adopted persons’, especially cousins Arthur “Junior” Sears and Patty-Jo Walton, Dennis Anderson, and Robert Letourneau who provided support, companionship, care, and engagement, whether near or far, throughout the years but most notably in recent times, when pain and limited mobility caused significant challenges for her daily.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Sonoma Restaurant @The Beechwood Hotel in Worcester on June 28th at 1pm for friends and family in MA. A Memorial Mass will also be held in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Portland, ME with a gathering afterwards sometime in July. The date and time will be announced at the earliest opportunity. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to AHA www.heart.org or Worcester Country Food Bank www.foodbank.org

….’Are you not under my shadow and protection….”

― Our Lady of Guadalupe

‘Love you to the moon and back’

--Unknown