Clyde Kenneth Mitchell (81)

Clyde Kenneth Mitchell, age 81, died March 18, 2023.

He is survived by his five children; Michael David (Lori) Mitchell of Albertville, Alabama, Steven Paul (Renee) Mitchell of Las Vegas, Nevada, Robert Christopher (Kimberly) Mitchell of Sun Prairie, Wisconson, Sona Sue (Andre) Filosi of Las Vegas, Nevada and Anna Marie (Daniel) Dyer of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Fourteen grandchildren Charles Daneel Mitchell, Angelina Flores, Jennifer (Scott) Avalar, Jake (Jamie) Padilla, Noah Mitchell, Liam Mitchell, Jude Mitchell, Katherine Holley, Karlee Holley, Hannah Holley, Alayna Butwinick, Emily Butwinick, Mitchell Dyer, and Stephen Dyer and many wonderfully loved nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his wife Nancy Elaine (Baker) Mitchell, his parents Clyde George Franklin Mitchell and Marie Wiyatt Mitchell and brothers James E. Mitchell, Homer Eugene Mitchell, and Marion Edward Mitchell.

If you knew Clyde..you would know he goes by Ken, Kenny or Dr. Mitchell. Our dad was a very well-educated man with a great sense of humor and a giving heart. He strongly believed in God, science, family, and education.

Ken started as a humble farmer in Jasper County Illinois and ended with a Ph.D in Physics, a patent, and his own company dedicated to solving the energy crisis the world is facing. He told us stories about how he got to where he was and shared the secret to success. Our dad started college at Eastern Illinois University and pretty quickly found himself flunking out of college. The reason? He learned a new skill… How to take a single nickel and put it into a pinball machine and have it last all day! As the grades were rolling in, he realized something had to change as being a professional pinball player was not a popular sport that would pay the bills. His secret to success? Priorities. Change your priorities and make a commitment to do the work to reach your goals. One of our favorite sayings of his: The difference between a failing and exceptional student? – The homework.Ken graduated in 1963 with a B.S in Education. He then taught math and science to high schoolers, developed a wrestling team, and became their head coach. (Side note: Kenny first found his love for wrestling at a young age where he was always the smallest wrestler facing opponents twice his size, still coming out on top. Talk about that for an introductory to his soon to be found love in physics with inertia and momentum!) He continued his studies at Illinois State University and was awarded the National Science Foundation grant to study physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he earned his Master of Science in the Teaching of Physics in 1967. In 1968 Ken received a National Defense Education Act (NDEA) Title IV Fellowship to continue his studies at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. He later received an Associated Western Universities Fellowship to do his doctoral research in Los Alamos, New Mexico at the Los Alamos National Lab. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physics in 1973. Ken worked for EG&G and was transferred to the Las Vegas, NV branch in 1985 where he stayed until his retirement in 1995. Our dad would often say he wasn’t smarter than anyone else- he just worked harder at learning. Putting in large quantities of time before and after hours just to feed his appetite of new concepts and comprehension.He met our mother around the age of 5 at church. They married June 3, 1962. He often reminded us that he had to get permission from his parents to marry as he was only 20 at the time. Some things are worth fighting for. They had five children together that they were very proud of. Ken and Nancy celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary June 3, 2022, and our mother passed away 25 days later. Celebrate life when you can, you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Kenny had quite a few hobbies and interests. He was a member of the following organizations: Newton Masonic Lodge No. 216 A.F & A.M, Zelzah Shriners of Las Vegas, Nevada National Guard Reserve, Toastmasters, and Green Valley United Methodist Church. He loved flying his Cherokee Piper airplane in his younger years and in his later years he enjoyed his horses Bitsy Scarlett and Sangria, his dog Sunny, and his cat Miss Kitty. He would often take trips across the country on his beloved motorcycles, work on any fixer upper project he could get his hands on, mostly for others, and enjoyed glasses of his favorite boxed wines and sipping on his favorite beer, Budweiser or a shot of Fireball Whiskey. His biggest love was pursuing science. He has a patent US-6686556-B2 for renewable energy and had big plans to take the idea farther with the help of close friends who also happened to be brilliant minds when his time was cut short. Although Kenny’s time has come to a close, the impact he has made will ring for centuries to come. Kenny was an outstanding father, grandfather, friend and most importantly a human being who will be dearly missed by all graced with his acquaintance. Let Kenny’s life be testament to the will for change and a better tomorrow.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 15, 2023, at the Crain Funeral Home, Newton, Illinois with Rev. Amy Jeffries officiating. Masonic Rites will be offered by Newton Masonic Lodge No. 216 A.F. & A.M. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 15th until time of service in the funeral home. Burial will be in the Hunt Cemetery, rural Jasper County, Illinois. Memorial gifts may be made to either Saved by Grace, Shriners Children’s Hospital or to Loscutoff Equine Rescue. Online condolences may be offered by clicking here.