Obituary of Opher Lee Mitchell

Opher Lee Mitchell, lovingly known to family and friends as “Bo” and “Mitch”, passed into eternal rest on July 26, 2019, at the age of 79 years.  Opher Lee was born to Joseph Mitchell and Mabell Dorsey Mitchell on July 22, 1940, just after the end of the Great Depression and prior to the beginning of World War II.  He was the oldest of six children born to this union.  He was the grandson of William “Bill” Mitchell and Cora Williams Mitchell (paternal grandparents) and Mary Mollie Moore Dorsey and Harry Dorsey (maternal grandparents). 

Opher Lee attended Gregory Elementary School in Gregory, Arkansas, and Carver High School of Augusta, Arkansas.  He left high school early to take a job and help his family financially when his father became ill and had to undergo surgery.  He needed to step up and help support his family, which he did willingly.  He loved his family dearly and always exerted special efforts to attend family reunions and events even during his illness. 

At an early age, Opher Lee accepted Christ and joined the Guildfield Baptist Church at Gregory, Arkansas and he later joined Notre Dame Catholic Church at Houston in 1984.  

At the age of 21, Opher moved to Miami, Florida, where he met and married Joan Riley.  He lived and worked in Florida for many years. He later relocated to Houston, Texas.  There he met and married Brenda Hall Hartley on May 7, 1992, whom he loved and cherished until the Lord called her home in 2006.  Together Opher Lee and Brenda provided a happy and loving home for their family.  They were among the kindest people you could ever meet.  They opened their hearts and their home to many over the years.  They enjoyed traveling and visiting relatives in other states.  

During his career, Opher Lee worked as a mechanic and manager of a gas/service station in Perrine, Florida.  Subsequently, he changed his occupation to long-distance truck driver, which he tremendously enjoyed. He often bragged about his driving skills and frequently engaged friends and family in long conversations about his experiences and adventures.  According to his accounts, he was a truck driver extraordinaire.  When it came to truck driving, there was no obstacle too large or dangerous to prevent Bo Mitchell from completing his missions. He also was employed as a foreman by Gypsum Flooring and worked in construction for many years.

Opher Lee was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents; his loving wife, Brenda Hartley-Mitchell; two daughters, Lena Mitchell and Larine Mitchell; two grandchildren, Anthony Campbell and April Nicole Lee Lowe; and three brothers, Joe Mitchell, Levoluer Mitchell, and Joseph Mitchell, Jr.

He leaves to cherish his memory seven children: sons, Alexander Hartley, III (Paula) of Port Arthur, TX, David Paul Wells of Beaumont, TX, Quinton Ratcliffe of Daytona Beach, FL and Taji Lewis; daughters, Ella Johnson of Little Rock, AR, Sella Riley Simpson, Jerlean Mitchell and Alycia T. Hartley of Houston, TX; twenty-nine grandchildren: Michael Riley, Darrell C. Riley, Jamaul Langham, Taeisha Tyson (Tim), Melissa Hartley Gardner (Ian), Alexander Hartley, IV (Sharmecia), Alexis N. Hartley, Chayce A. Hartley, Malcolm Mitchell, Troy Dickey, Unique Dickey,  Passion Brown, Dominique Brown, Ariel M. Campbell, Abriana Mitchell,  Jordan Hartley, David Wells, Jr., Brandon Miller Wells, Brady Miller Wells, Davontae Woods, Quentin Ratcliffe, Jr., Quentia Ratcliffe, Jazmine Collins, Raquel K. Zuniga, Phredy-Ricco Zuniga, Rosaria Zuniga, Avia Rachell, Clarissia Rachell, and Tristan Davis; twenty-six great grandchildren; one brother, Levern Mitchell (Lodina) of Richmond, VA; two sisters, Jewell Mitchell Walker and Eletha Mitchell Henderson (James) of Pine Bluff, AR; daughter-in-Law, Nechol Brock (Vaughn); a special cousin, Bill Brown of Baton Rouge, LA; a special friend, Shirley Williams of Houston, TX; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other friends and relatives.