Obituary of Professor John J Mitchell, Jr.

John J. Mitchell, Jr. Seton Hall Professor John J. Mitchell, 68, passed away suddenly Tuesday, October 2. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church 217 Prospect St., South Orange on Sat, Oct 6th at 10:30 AM. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home 153 South Orange Ave, South Orange on Friday 2-4 & 6-9 PM. Interment Private. John, born in Passaic NJ, (son of John Mitchell Sr., and Helen Mitchell, nee Haggerty who predeceased him) lived in NJ for most of his life, most recently in Maplewood, NJ for 32 years. He has been a faculty member at Seton Hall University since 1977 and served as Chair of the Department of Biomedical Ethics in the School of Graduate Medical Education since 1994. He also served the university as the Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and taught for many years in the Department of Religious Studies. While a professor, he valiantly attempted to unionize the Seton Hall faculty. He served as a Clinical Ethics Instructor and Ethics consultant at many NJ hospitals including St. Michael's Medical Center, Newark; Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Elizabeth; JFK Medical Center, Edison; St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton; Mountainside Hospital, Montclair; and Jersey City Medical Center. He served as the Systems Ethicist for St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson. He graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from St. Hyacinth College in Granby, Massachusetts , a M.A. in religious studies from Manhattan College, Bronx, NY and a Ph.D. in theology from the St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Mary Lou; his three daughters: Jessica Mitchell, and her husband Jesse Rector of West Orange, NJ, Cathleen Mitchell and her husband Rainer Schwabe of Mexico City, and Mary Elizabeth of Brooklyn, NY. He was a beloved grandfather to his three grandchildren, Bernie, Charlie, and Eloise. He is survived by his sister Mary Jane and brother-in-law Gerry Ryan of Olney, MD and his beloved nieces and nephews Maureen and Kevin Ryan also of MD; sister Joan Pedrazzo of Oakhurst, NJ and in-laws Charles Tamason and Judy Dupuis of Ann Arbor, Michigan. His sister Eloise predeceased him. He was a lifelong advocate for people with developmental disabilities and an active volunteer on behalf of the Arc of Union County. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Arc of Union county http://www.arcunion.org/ or New Horizons Resources, Inc. http://www.nhrny.org/.