Dorothy J. Mitchell

Dorothy J. Mitchell, 85, of Waukegan, IL, passed away on January 4, 2025 at Brookside Care Center in Kenosha, WI.

Dorothy was born January 27, 1939 in Kenosha, WI, to Ralph and Emma Howard. She attended school in Kenosha and graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School in 1956. Dorothy worked for several years at American Motors in Kenosha, WI where she met and fell in love with Richard Ziccarelli. Dorothy and Richard were married on December 26, 1959 with whom she welcomed their daughter, Carolyn.

In the early 1970’s, Dorothy began working as a paralegal for the Law Office of Lundquist and Mitchell where she met Theodore Mitchell. The two were married on July 17, 1976 until his death in May of 1996. Dorothy was a determined and intelligent woman who obtained her pre-law degree from UW Parkside in 1981 and her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent School of Law in January 1985 at the age of 45, mere days before her 46th birthday. She became a licensed attorney by the State of Illinois in May of 1985 and joined the law practice of Lundquist and Mitchell for 25 years until she retired in 2010. 

Dorothy was an active member of the Zion Chamber of Commerce and the Zion Historical Society. She also served on the board of directors at the Zion Water District and Rolling Hills Campus. She was an active member of Christ Community Church in Zion, IL and enjoyed spending summers volunteering as a cook at Camp Zion and assisting with costumes for the Zion Passion Play. She often volunteered her time at various events in Zion to stay active and social. Through volunteering, she met Raymond Murphy in 2009 whom she married on April 16, 2011 until his death in 2021.

Dorothy was a talented seamstress and a great cook even when she accidentally seasoned the Thanksgiving turkey with catnip. She enjoyed the outdoors, frequently going fishing and boating. Dorothy meant a great deal to all of the people in her life. She enjoyed an especially close relationship with her sister, Mary, and could be found chatting away on the phone for hours with her about anything and everything. Her great-grandchildren will always remember her hiding sweets and cookies in the microwave for them when they came to visit. Dorothy’s personality was big and she always said she never planned on dying because she simply didn’t have the time.

Dorothy is survived by her children, Carolyn Ziccarelli, Ann (Jeff) Mitchell-Bantz, and Lewie (Lisa) Mitchell; grandchildren, Deanna (Nick) Wirth, Nicholas Sposito, Andrew (Erica) Woods, Lauren (Justin) Mitchell-Williams, Tyler (Amanda) Mitchell, Louisa Mitchell, and Gavin Mitchell; great-grandchildren, Kaitlin, Jordan and Logan Yankunas, Simon, Janet and Wendy Mitchell, Max Mitchell-Williams, and Riley Woods; sister, Mary Chang; and many cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husbands; a brother, Bob Howard; and her parents.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Brookside Care Center, and especially to nurse Sam from Brookside and to nurse Sara with Hospice Alliance. Thank you for helping us keep our promise by ensuring that Dorothy had a peaceful transition from this life to the next. 

A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion. A funeral service will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be at Mt Olivet Memorial Park, Zion IL in their chapel on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. where guests are welcome. Please visit the online guest book at www.congdonfuneralhome.com.