Elbert Byron Mitchell

Elbert “Byron” Mitchell, 95, went to be with the Lord on June 8, 2025.

His heart just gave out after years of heart issues and congestive heart failure over the last several years, though he persevered and never complained. His favorite one-liner for everyone who asked how he was doing was: “I was feeling good, but I got over it!”

A “Celebration of Life” will be held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Brookwood Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. with Visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Byron was born on November 1, 1929, in San Augustine, TX to Thomas Elbert Mitchell and Effie Hopkins Mitchell. He spent his early years in East Texas, and then his family moved to Oak Grove, Louisiana.

He served in the Army and was stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. He had a chance to volunteer to do testing of engines and equipment in extreme cold temperatures. His detachment was stationed in arctic Canada in Manitoba. He expressed how beautiful the Northern Lights were in a letter to his family. He also remarked that “some green grass and a drop of rain” would be nice and that, “The sun didn’t waste any time in Manitoba. It would come up and go down in a few hours.” After his time in the Army, he returned home to Oak Grove.

He met the love of his life, that beautiful girl with the red hair, Maurine Tubbs, at the church in Oak Grove where they attended. They married and went on to have two children, Debra and Gordon, and later settled in Shreveport.

For many years, he was an expert in repairing two-cycle engines in chainsaws, weedeaters and blowers, particularly Poulan chainsaws. His early career began at Southern Saw Shop, but in later years, he had his own business, Mitchell’s Small Engines, at the edge of Stonewall. He was known for his ability to get repairs done on a timely basis at a reasonable cost. He worked in that business until he was 85 when he finally decided to retire and enjoy life.

He loved his church. For several years, he was a faithful member of Morningside Baptist Church and sang in the choir. Then in 1970, he joined his beloved Brookwood Baptist Church and rarely missed a Sunday. He was a deacon and sang in the choir there for nearly 50 years. In his later years, he worshipped through their podcasts.

One of his favorite things was Tuesday morning Men’s Prayer Breakfasts at Denny’s. He loved his time with these friends from Brookwood and talked about it often.

For many of his younger years, he loved to spend his summer weekends water skiing with our family and friends at Lake Bistineau and at Monterrey Lake. He was quite good on a slalom, but was never able to master barefoot, though he tried many times.

He and Maurine loved to travel. They traveled extensively across the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, parts of Europe and a wonderful cruise to the islands of Hawaii. Many of these trips were through Mulvihill Tours that made planning and traveling easy. They made a lot of friends on these trips.

Byron was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, James “Howard” Mitchell. He is survived by his sister, Janis Ezell of Granbury, TX; sister-in-law, Margie Mitchell of Bossier City; wife of over 74 years, Maurine Tubbs Mitchell; daughter, Debra “DebbIe” Davis (Mike) and son, Gordon Mitchell (Tonya); grandchildren: Robin Castaillac (Niko) of Saint Martin de Crau, FR, Suzanne Beckman (Bill) of Edmond, OK, Amy Jones (Adam) of Frierson, LA, and Lauren Hawthorne (Charlie) of Stonewall; great-grandchildren: William, Evie and Xander Beckman, Olivier and Juliette Castaillac, Clayton and Connor Jones, and Audree Grace Hawthorne; and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Honorary Pallbearers are: Ronnie Hurd, John Albritton, John Alvarez, Kem Brown, Lee Hopper, Daryl McKinnon and Eugene Rachel, all friends from his Tuesday Prayer Breakfast Group.

He never met a stranger. He could talk to anyone and always had a smile on his face. He often said: “I’m so glad you got to see me!” He loved the Lord and was a faithful servant. He was a wonderful husband and Father and will be missed by many.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Brookwood Baptist Church or the charity of your choice.