CJ MITCHELL, Jr.    

March 17, 1931 – January 24, 2016

Einan’s at Sunset

CJ began his life journey on the 17^th day of March 1931, in Kildare, Texas. He passed away at Guardian Angel Homes Assisted Living in Richland, Washington on January 24, 2016. He was the fifth of nine children of CJ Mitchell, Sr. and Annie Lee Daniels Mitchell.

His parents; brothers: William Sam Mitchell, Calvin Coolidge Mitchell, Earnest Mitchell, and Cicero Mitchell; and sisters: Annette Mitchell Montgomery and Velma Mitchell Jackson preceded him in death.

After his graduation as class valedictorian from Perfection High School in Kildare, Texas at the age of sixteen in 1947, CJ moved to the state of Washington. He worked as a laborer at various Hanford Atomic Energy Sites including the construction of the K-Basins in the 100 Area. In 1950, he returned to Kildare and married the love of his life, Bernice Castleberry on June 3^rd.

Immediately after their marriage, CJ and Bernice followed older relatives to Chicago, Illinois in search of work. Their first child, David Lynn, was born there in 1951. The next year the family of three moved to Hermiston, Oregon where CJ found employment in construction at the McNary Dam on the Columbia River. In 1953 CJ and his family moved to Pasco, Washington where he worked on construction of the green bridge (now known as the blue bridge) between Kennewick and Pasco, Washington. In 1954 CJ began working, once again, at the Hanford Atomic Energy Site, north of Richland, Washington. He then moved his growing family of four to Richland where he and Bernice lived the remainder of their sixty-four years of married life together. 

CJ worked at the Hanford Nuclear Energy Reservation in Southeastern Washington State first for General Electric Company, 1954-1965, and then for Battelle-Northwest, managers of the United States Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), 1965-1993 full-time; and 1993-2013 part-time. He started as a laborer for General Electric - Hanford, working on construction of the K-Basins in the 100 Area and other projects; and then, after attending Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington at night, he worked as a metallurgical technician for General Electric and later Battelle-Northwest in the 300 Area, and finally as a human resources specialist for Battelle-Northwest for nearly 20 years.

CJ had a passion for preserving Hanford history. He was a B Reactor tour guide for several years. During his time as president of the African American Community, Cultural & Educational Society (AACCES), CJ spent countless hours collecting information and doing oral histories with African Americans who had also come to Hanford seeking jobs during the Manhattan Project years and after. His dream of seeing that history preserved in a museum came true when The Atomic Frontier: Black Life at Hanford exhibit opened at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) in Seattle in 2015.

In addition to working full-time, umpiring or refereeing part-time, and raising six successful children, along with his wife, Bernice, CJ served as chairman of the Richland Human Rights Review Board, was a Trustee at Columbia Basin College, a member of the Board of Directors for Kadlec Hospital, President of the Tri-Cities Sports Officials Association, and co-founder and past president of AACCES.                                        

CJ was an active member of the Richland Kiwanis Club for 42 years. He was the Columbia Basin College (CBC) Alumnus of the Year in 1997.  And the name, CJ Mitchell (aka Big Time) was synonymous with sports in the Tri-Cities and throughout the State of Washington beginning in the late 1960s to the 2010s. CJ had continuous sports involvement for 50 plus years as a sports official, coach, player, parent and grandparent. His noteworthy umpiring career took off in the early 1970s and continued through the early 2000s as an active umpire. He then served as a Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC) -10 and PAC -12 Umpire Evaluator for over 10 years. He was baseball-scheduling secretary of the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, Washington Umpires’ Association until medical conditions sidelined him in July 2014. CJ also had more than 20 years of experience in the organization and delivery of training clinics for officials in baseball, basketball, football, and softball. Some of his significant sports achievements were: baseball umpire for 35 years in the PAC-8 / PAC-10 Conference; four (4) time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I College World Series umpire in Omaha, Nebraska; ten (10) time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) World Series baseball umpire; six (6) time American Legion World Series baseball umpire; 1984 and 1988 United States Olympic Baseball Team Umpire; Co-Founder of the Central Washington Sports Hall of Fame; Member, Washington State High School “Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame” – first umpire so honored. The award is now named after him. He is a member of the Amateur Baseball Association (ABA) Hall of Fame; Amateur Baseball Umpires Association (ABUA) Hall of Fame; Central Washington Sports Hall of Fame; American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame; and CBC Sports Hall of Fame.

CJ leaves to cherish his wonderful memory, brother, Richard Lynn (Ruth Randall) Mitchell, Albuquerque, NM; sister, Emma Ruth Mitchell Peoples, Richland, WA; children: David Lynn “Duke” (Janet) Mitchell, Richland, WA; Gregory Mitchell, Richland, WA; Nestor Rodrigues (Bernice) Mitchell, Tacoma, WA; Vanessa Bernetta Mitchell (Leonard) Moore, Pasco, WA; Cameron (Kris) Mitchell, Richland, WA; and Robin Jay Mitchell, Richland, WA; 13 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews; and many, many friends and acquaintances.

The family wishes to thank Guardian Angel Homes, DaVita Chinook Dialysis, Life Care of Richland, Kadlec Regional Medical Center; Craig C. Christian, DDS; Frank E. Cole, MD; Vamsi          Kanneganti, MD; Dae Y. Lee, MD; and Clarence D. Washington, MD; John L. Scott Tri-Cities Real Estate home of CJ’s former real estate colleagues; and Hospice at the Chaplaincy – Tri-Cities. They also thank their extended family members, friends, and many others in the Tri-Cities Community, and beyond, for the love, care, encouragement and support of their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Einan’s at Sunset; 915 By-pass Highway, Richland, WA, is arranging funeral services.  The Funeral will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 2:00 pm at Faith Assembly Christian Center; 1800 North Road 72, Pasco, WA.