Merceda Mitchelle

Merceda Eloyce Mitchelle was born on August 3, 1923, in Palatka, Florida to her parents, James William Roberts and Mabel Alderman Roberts. She was the second child born in the family. She was blessed to have one brother, James and a sister, Gloria who died when she was only three years old. Merceda received her formal education in Palatka, Florida, where she graduated from Central Academy. She furthered her education attending Florida A&M University located in Tallahassee, Florida. She earned her Bachelors of Art Degree in Nursing while in college. On December 1, 1950, Merceda united in holy matrimony to Lucius M. Mitchelle in Tuskegee, Alabama. Lucius was serving in the United States Air Force when they met. They relocated to Okinawa, Japan and in 1964, they settled in Denver, Colorado. Lucius and Merceda adopted and became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, named Carolyn. Carolyn was able to stay in contact with her biological sister, Doris Dean. Merceda welcomed Doris and treated her like a daughter. Merceda was a devoted and loving wife, mother and friend. Nothing was more important than the care and nurture of her family. She was later blessed with 2 grandchildren, Shaun and Benjamin and 8 great grandchildren, who were all an additional source of joy and pride in her life. They affectionately called her "GG Mama." Merceda was preceded in death by her grandson, Shaun in 1997; and her husband Lucius in 2002. By profession, Merceda was employed in the nursing field as a Registered Nurse. While residing in Amarillo, Texas, she was the first African American woman to be appointed Head Nurse of a Psychiatric Unit. When she relocated to Denver, Colorado, she took the position of Psychiatric Head Nurse for the Veteran's Administration Hospital. She was awarded numerous awards and certificates for her hard work and dedication. She was admired by her colleagues and respected by the patients placed in her charge. She retired after 30 years of faithful and dedicated service. A woman of faith and belief in the Lord, Merceda accepted the Lord as her personal savior at a very early age. When she settled in Denver, she joined the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, under the pastoral leadership of Reverend Acen L. Phillips. She was a member of the Woman's Department. She truly enjoyed her walk with the Lord and the fellowship shared with her church family. Merceda was a fun loving woman, who enjoyed life and those she encircled. In her free time, she enjoyed cooking, reading and spending quality time with family and friends. She found great pleasure in sharing with anyone she came in contact with about the "goodness of the Lord" and how important it was to have the right relationship with Him. Her closest friends, Daisy Estes, Alma & Frank Harris, Fred Jones and her neighbor, Rosa Hobbs, will miss the camaraderie they all shared together and the fact that she was a true and genuine friend. She will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known this kind and wonderful lady; who was passionate about the Lord and wanted to share that with all whom she came in contact with her. She was often called "Queen" because of her regal and royal disposition. To know Merceda was to love her. Merceda Eloyce Mitchelle departed this life and rejoined all those who preceded her in death on January 8, 2014, in Denver, Colorado. Those left to cherish her memory and mourn her loss include her daughter, Carolyn L. Mitchelle; her grandson, Benjamin I. Crowley both of Denver; 8 great grandchildren, Raheim R. Crowley, Randi L. Crowley, Randi L. Crowley, Nadia Crowley, Aliyah Crowley, Natalia Crowley, Naliyah Crowley, Nevaeh Crowley and Benjamin I. Crowley, Jr. "Mr. BB", all of Denver; foster daughter, Doris Daniels of Douglas, Georgia and a host of other relatives and many friends.

Funeral Home: Pipkin Braswell Funerals and Cremations - 6601 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO
Visitation: 1/15/2014 at 4:00 PM - Pipkin Braswell Chapel of Peace - 6601 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO
Service: 1/16/2014 at 11:00 AM - The House Worship Center - 195 South Monaco Pkwy, Denver, CO
Cemetery: 1/16/2014 at 2:00 PM Staging Area A Fort Logan National Cemetery - Denver, CO