William Ron Mitchell

William Ronald ""Ron"" Mitchell, a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend who never gave anything less than his best each day, died March 23 at his home in Lakewood. He was 75. A memorial in Ron's honor will be held Monday, April 4 at 10 a.m. at Bear Valley Church, 10001 W. Jewell Ave., Lakewood, CO 80232. While his family is heartbroken by his unexpected passing, they are thankful to have shared in the life of this wonderful man. Early life Ron was born June 20, 1940, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to O. Robert Mitchell and Mary Louise (Parker) Mitchell, joining his older brother Robert Douglas. During early childhood, his family lived in several cities, including Kansas City, Missouri, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Altadena, California. Ron's father was an architect, and the family moved as projects were completed. They settled in Denver when Ron was 10. Ron, a 1958 graduate of Denver's South High School, met his wife Judie in 1960 at the University of Denver while studying broadcast journalism and film. The couple married October 8, 1961, and spent 54 happy years together. He was a general assignment reporter for KUSA-TV Channel 9, covering the news in Denver and beyond from 1969 to 1995. Hall of fame In 2012, Ron was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall of Fame, an honor that surprised him. ""I'm flattered that my work is being recognized,"" Ron said in his induction video. During his hall-of-fame career, Ron gave 100 percent to each story, always keeping the viewer in mind. He most enjoyed covering water-, transportation- and education-related stories. ""If one out of 20 people are paying any attention at all, it's worth doing well,"" Ron said. ""I tried really hard every day; that was my goal."" Meeting the president In 1979, Ron was selected to participate in President Jimmy Carter's Citizen's Advisory Committee on Transportation, and he had the honor of personally meeting the president. In 1990, Ron traveled with more than 100 Coloradans to Georgia in the former Soviet Union as part of a sister-city exchange. While there, he did several stories and ultimately created a documentary titled ""Twenty-One Hours from Home."" He earned an Emmy for the piece, which won ""Best Documentary"" that year. After the trip, Ron said the experience was ""life-changing."" Sense of humor He had a dry wit and enjoyed joking with people. At least one coworker remembers a day when Ron sat at his desk wearing a clown nose while writing a story. Family members also recall how he often convinced them of the tall tales he would tell. A humble man, Ron downplayed his role as a newsman. He often said: ""I'm a journalist who happens to work in television."" When approached in public, he would get embarrassed when a viewer asked for his autograph, but he willingly talked with anyone and everyone who took time to say hello. Professional life Ron started his broadcast career as a radio disc jockey at Denver station KICN. The first record he ever played on the air was a ""Theme From a Summer Place."" He also worked at Denver stations KOSI-AM, KMOR and KBTR. He left Colorado in 1964 to work at WKYW in Louisville, Kentucky before moving to Richmond, Virginia where he became the program director at WRGM. Ron returned to Denver in 1967 and opened two Chicken Delight franchises with his brother. After selling those ventures, Ron returned to broadcasting and to KBTR, which at that time had an all-news format. Legendary broadcaster Carl Akers hired him from a pool of 300 candidates. Ron dearly admired Carl, who passed away in 1993. Recently, he worked on an archival project chronicling Carl's career. In 1969, Ron applied for a weekend sports anchor job at KBTR's sister station, KBTV, which later became KUSA. He moved from the sports desk to a general assignment reporter's job in 1971. Ron served as assignment editor in the late '70s, but he missed being a field reporter, his primary job until he retired in 1996. He loved broadcast journalism and his passion inspired him to give back to the profession. Joining longtime friend and colleague John Fosholt, Ron taught aspiring young journalists at his alma mater, the University of Denver, for more than 20 years. Philately (stamp collecting) After retiring, Ron dedicated much of his free time to stamp collecting, a hobby he fell in love with as a child. He devoted his talents to the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library, where he served as director from 1997 to 2003 and as president from 2003 to 2008. While there, he wrote a book that took him more than 30 years to research. Ron was honored when the library board voted to publish the book, which won several gold medals at various stamp shows. ""Mexico's Denver Printing of 1914"" was one of his life's crowning achievements. He is loved Ron is survived by his wife, Judie Mitchell; two sons, David Mitchell and his wife, Janine Tafoya-Manning, Denver; Don Mitchell and his wife, Tammy Mitchell, Lakewood; seven grandchildren, Amanda Mitchell and her husband, Mike Shapiro, Denver; Samantha Mitchell, Aurora; Kaitlin Mitchell, Lakewood; Austin Mitchell, Thornton; Jason Mitchell, Lakewood; Corrina Williamson, Denver; and L. Wolfgang Williamson, Army-Ft. Bragg, N.C.; and one great-grandchild, Baylee Mitchell, Aurora. Contributions may be made to the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library, 2038 S. Pontiac Way, Denver, CO 80224, or the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, PO Box 261354, Lakewood, CO 80226.