Obituary: Karen G. Mitchell

Karen G. Mitchell, 77, of Juneau, Alaska, passed away on Sunday, May 24, 2026.

Karen was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on Dec. 28, 1948. She was the daughter of the late Samuel and Muriel Mitchell, and grew up in Wilmington, graduating from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1966. As a youngster, Karen took piano lessons, liked to sing, and attend theater and movies. As a very earnest scholar, she loved the pursuit of learning, which followed her throughout her life.

(Photo by Dick Fagnant)

Karen graduated from the University of Delaware in 1970, majoring in Spanish. Following college, she put her knowledge to use as a VISTA Volunteer in Puerto Rico for two years. After travel throughout Europe and the United States, she finally settled in Juneau where she lived for more than 50 years.

In Juneau, Karen made the decision to become an elementary teacher. She obtained an elementary teaching degree from the University of Alaska Southeast, and taught at Gastineau, Harborview and Mendenhall River Elementary Schools for many years. Karen is remembered for being a warm-hearted professional with an eye always toward children’s autonomy and literacy development. As such she served as the district’s writing mentor for all elementary schools and also facilitated Alaska Writing Consortium Institutes. In 1990, Karen was honored as the Juneau School Teacher of the Year. At that time, it was a peer selection process. She was greatly respected as an exceptional teacher.

Karen later continued her education, obtaining a master’s degree from the Breadloaf School of English in Vermont and later matriculating in a doctoral program in rhetoric with an emphasis in women’s studies at Miami University of Ohio.

After retiring from the Juneau School District, Karen taught at the University of Alaska Southeast as an adjunct faculty, and was continuously active, both socially and professionally, in the activities of the university’s communications faculty. For years, she participated fully in the faculty’s major undertakings such as its freshman writing assessment programs on all three campuses. Among the writing faculty, she was known for encouraging her students who needed to develop a stronger “voice” so that they could more effectively express themselves with respect to the contentious or personal issues some chose to address in their essays. Karen strived to meet the needs of all students in her care with her positive spirit seeing the good in people and cultivating a wide range of friendships. As a caring teacher, Karen actively promoted diversity, equity and inclusion throughout her career in all the settings in which she worked.

Karen is survived by her siblings Jacklyn Moore of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Richard Mitchell of Newark, Delaware, and Barbara Mitchell of Wilmington, Delaware, as well as by several nieces and a nephew — Jennifer White, Jamie Mitchell, Kristin Mitchell, and Craig Murray — and their children. Karen leaves behind lifelong friends who find a hole in their lives now that she is gone.

An informal memorial for Karen will be held on Saturday, June 20, at Riverview Senior Living at 2 p.m.  Light snacks will be served as we share our memories of Karen.

Donations in Karen’s name can be made to: AWARE or the UAS Writing Center.