Mitch Black passed from this earth, suddenly and very unexpectedly, May 25, 2020 in Thailand at the age of 70.
Mitch was born in Hollywood, California. He moved with his family to Irondale in 1952 then to Port Townsend in 1958. A 1968 Port Townsend High School graduate, he went on to earn a degree in English Literature from the University of Washington in 1972. Mitch moved on to the teaching profession after college. He student taught at Ballard High School then began his career at Lake Stevens. He then transferred to Chimacum School District and spent 25 years teaching CWP and English, retiring at the age of 55. Mitch was the head golf coach at Chimacum for many years and his teams did well at state tournaments. He was an excellent golfer and played in many tournaments over the years plus winning the Spring Valley club championship. Mitch would often regale family members with stories of his “hole-in-one” experiences.
Mitch was a fine athlete and was all-league in his high school years, captaining football and basketball teams. He played high caliber slow-pitch in Seattle. His passions were tennis, bicycling, running and most of all golf. Besides a mania for electronic sports games he was also a fine hand with a guitar. His high school days were highlighted by playing in a top notch local band “The Mob.”
Mitch was a prolific traveler and traveled extensively in the Western States. In more recent years he became expert at fly fishing and spent many years fishing the great fly streams.
Mitch was preceded in death by his father Edward (Widge) Black. He is survived by his mother Lois Black, brother Tim Black (Karlena), sister Laurie McGinnis (James) and sister Shannon Black Nowell (Terry) plus numerous nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. A scholarship fund has been set up in Mitch’s name with FOCS (Friends of Chimacum Schools, Education Foundation). In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a scholarship donation at https://www.focsef.org/ . Mitch loved teaching and his students. The family feels that this is the best way to honor our son/brother’s memory.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date when we can all be together.
