Pearline Winola Mitchell, 91, former resident of Wetipquin, Maryland, died Thursday, February 6, 2014 at the Salisbury Genesis Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Salisbury, MD.

Born in Wetipquin, she was the daughter of the late Edward J. and Victoria (Bailey) Taylor.  Her late husband of 49 years, James Lober Mitchell died in 1990.

She was a 1939 graduate of the former Salisbury Colored High School. In 1988, at the age of 65, Mrs. Mitchell enrolled in college for the first time at Salisbury University.  In 2001, after 13 years of attending school on a part-time basis, she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing.

Mrs. Mitchell has been writing poetry, short stories, and other fiction for her 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 SU's Scarab, the Salisbury Advertiser, and the American Poetry Annual.  In addition, her works have been broadcasted on WESM (FM 91.3), the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore's public radio station.

She has resided in the small rural Eastern Shore community of Wetipquin for all but two of her 91 years.  Besides writing, one of her other passions was 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 and writing has been a joy to her. " Writing has enriched my soul, and kept me look up for better things".  Writing gave 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 her 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 could say with confidence that she owed all of her songs or poems and stories to her children.  She 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's explosive imagination did this for her.   She cannot forget the joy she found while 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.

She was a member of Friendship United Methodist Church in Wetipquin where she served as a former Sunday School teacher, Lay Speaker, pianist for the Senior and Junior choirs, UMW and church treasurer.  She was also a member of the Salisbury High School Alumni Assoc. and treasurer of the Wetipquin Community Development Club.
Her survivors include five children: David of Baltimore and Ronald Mitchell of Silver Spring; Joyce Burrell of Wetipquin, Jerome (Josephine) and Bryant (Helen) Mitchell, all of Salisbury; fifteen grandchildren and a host of great and great-great grandchildren; six siblings: Elva Robinson, Amelia Maxwell, both of Baltimore; Christine Williams of Silver Spring, Larry, Sr. (Louise) and Edward (Doretta) Taylor, all of Salisbury and Victoria Jones of Wetipquin; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Two children: James and Linda Mitchell; one grandson: Kevin Mitchell and three siblings: Ethel Lewis, Maybelle Toadvine and Victor Taylor preceded her in death.

A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 15, 2014 at Friendship United Methodist Church in Wetipquin where friends may call one hour prior to service.  Interment will be in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be made to the Pearline W. Mitchell Memorial Scholarship Fund, through the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore Foundation, Office of Institutional Advancement, J.T. Williams Bldg, Princess Anne, MD 21853.

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