Katherine 'Kit' Mitchell

This description of her life was mostly written by Kit herself a few years ago. She was a person who liked to plan ahead and have things in order. Katherine Jane (Kit) Stephens Mitchell was born March 11, 1923 to Atley A. Stephens and Alma Lila Roberts Stephens at Cement, OK. She died September 13, 2012 at the age of 89 after a lengthy battle against breast cancer. Kit was a natural blonde until after her children were born. She graduated from Classen High School, Oklahoma City in 1940 and attended the University of Oklahoma for two years, majoring in Home Economics. In 1942 she left college to begin working during WWII because most of her friends were working and making money while she was merely spending money. Kit and her friends were members of the USO during WWII and often attended dances on the military bases around Oklahoma City. On December 19, 1942 at a dance on Will Rogers Field, some soldiers appeared wearing officers' uniforms with Staff Sergeant insignia. They were Staff Sergeant Pilots. They attracted attention - the officers' uniforms were better looking than the enlisted men's. One of the new group tagged her and said his name was Babe. Sure! What a line! He said he would call her 'Kit' and that was the name she was most known by after that. He asked for her telephone number, but had nothing to write it on, so she thought that was the last of that. He did remember it, called and after a short period of dating (no more USO dances) he was sent to combat in early 1943, flying an A-20 fighter-bomber airplane from Oklahoma City to Morocco. He was gone a year, flying 51 missions in B-17 heavy bombers from North Africa and Italy. He wrote so many beautiful letters, she fell in love with him and they became engaged by mail. Babe called her from the east coast upon arriving back in the states in March 1944, asking her to "Meet Me in St Louis". Much to the consternation of her mother, Kit traveled by herself to Saint Louis to meet him there, and they were married in Oklahoma City on March 22, 1944, five days after Babe returned to the USA. Kit and Babe were married more than 68 happy years. Kit worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, small loan companies, Cartier Jewelers on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and Oklahoma Natural Gas Company until her first son was born in 1951. In 1973 at age 50, she began a career in the banking industry, specializing in loan documentation. Kit enjoyed twelve years at Liberty Bank and then United Oklahoma Bank, after which she did consulting at various banks in Oklahoma and Dallas for 3 years. She retired when the job wasn't fun any more and she could travel more with her sweetheart, Babe, which they did extensively for the next 20 years. Kit was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Vasca Stephens Jenkins, and many dear friends. She is survived by her sweetheart, Babe Mitchell of the home, sons Mike Dana Mitchell of Oklahoma City, Terry Stephen Mitchell and wife Jane of Springdale, AR, and their two sons, David Paul Mitchell and wife Kimberly of Springdale, AR, and Douglas Stephen Mitchell of Springdale, AR. She is also survived by two nieces, Michelle Katherine Jenkins of Oklahoma City and Jeanene Jenkins Hulsey and husband Ron of Santa Fe, NM, and by her cousin Larry Roberts and wife Darlene of Sapulpa, OK. Kit loved her many friends. She and Babe loved entertaining and did so frequently. She was an active member of First Christian Church in Oklahoma City, beginning in her junior high school days and continuing until a few years ago. Kit's (and later Babe's) ashes will be spread under a special pine tree on family property near Smithville, OK, in McCurtain county. She saved this tree, a sapling at the time, from being removed during construction of the family cabin in 1980 by a directive to Terry of "Woodsman, spare this tree!" The tree is now tall and strong, and it represents the many family stories that will always preserve her memory in a special place in our hearts.