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Obituary

Beverly Lea (Tatum) Mitchell of Shafter, California passed away peacefully on Friday, April 15, 2022 after bravely battling Alzheimer's since 2009.

Beverly was born on May 7, 1941 at Miss Freise’s Maternity Hospital in Wasco, California to Erma Nee Smith and Robert Lee Tatum. Raised in Shafter, she worked as a teenager in her father’s grocery store, Modern Market. She graduated from Shafter High School, where she had met and fallen in love with football star Charles Wesley Mitchell. They married on December 4, 1959 and had 4 children: Michael, Debbie, Lori, and David. She was a member of the Shafter Church of Christ.

Beverly was the bookkeeper for Mitchell Farms, owned a boutique clothing store in Bakersfield, and was a realtor for Coldwell Banker Preferred. Beverly cherished her family and loved celebrating holidays with them, especially Christmas where her house would transform to a Holiday Wonderland. The welcoming home in Shafter she and Charles created was the hub for family and friends. And her famous potato salad, tacos, homemade ice cream and chocolate pie have all become family traditions which will continue for generations.

Beverly also loved to sing, write and record music. From Branson, MO and the Kern County Fair to competitions, local events and the Green Acres Senior Center, her passion for country music and church hymns remained constant.

For 30 years she volunteered with Shafter’s Junior Miss Program mentoring hundreds of high school girls as the talent coordinator. She also co-directed Bakersfield’s Junior Miss Program (aka Distinguished Young Women.) Beverly was a member of Shafter’s Twenty-One Club, Soroptimist Club, and the Wasco Junior Women’s Club.

Beverly is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Charles, son, Michael Wesley Mitchell, and sister Janice Lynn Gould. She is survived by children Debbie Porwoll (Ted), Lori Mitchell and David Mitchell of Los Angeles; sister Sandy Hans of Camarillo; 3 grandchildren Alyson Coffman (Justin) of NV, Mitchell Porwoll (Andrea) of VA, Amy Porwoll, and 4 great grandchildren.

A heartfelt thank you to Arcadia Family Care (Jasmine and Jerry Yatco) and dear Felie, who lovingly cared for Beverly during the past 5 years.

In lieu of flowers, you can send a donation in Beverly’s memory to the local Bakersfield chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at 1401 Commercial Way, Suite 210, Bakersfield CA 93309.