Obituaries

Leona Elinor “Ellie” Mitchener passed away on February 11th to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was born in 1926, the youngest of four children. She graduated from Evanston High School in 1943 and maintained friendships with six girlfriends from Evanston, IL - “The Saddle Shoe Gang” - for over seventy years.

Ellie married Charles G. Mitchener in 1947 and together they raised four sons. Charles passed away in 2007. Ellie leaves behind Jeff (Joan) Mitchener of Fort Wayne, IN, Steve (Holly) Mitchener of Lakeland, TN, John (Laurie) Mitchener of Troy, MI and Ted (Valerie) Mitchener of Anderson, IN, as well as 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Ellie was devoted to her family, who often reaped the benefits of her skills in crafting, sewing, gardening, and cooking. She enjoyed volunteering at church, especially in the women’s group and was an avid bridge player, bowler, and golfer. Even in her 80’s, Ellie golfed three times a week and was a past president of the Eel River Early Bird Golf League. She will be remembered for her warm smile, sense of humor, and love of ice cream.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at The Journey-Free Methodist Church, 3536 West Wallen Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46818 on Saturday February 29th at 11:00 AM. The family will receive visitors from 10-11 AM before the service. Memorials may be made to The Journey - Free Methodist Church of Ft. Wayne, IN.