Richard "Dick" N. Mitchell, Sr., 84, passed away Oct. 23 at Cedar Ridge Center in Skowhegan, Maine. He was born Sept. 7, 1931 in Wareham to Frederick S. and Blanche (Bumpus) Mitchell.

After leaving school early, Dick worked a few years with his dad, then joined the Army and served in the Korean War. Coming out of the Army he worked as a mast and boat painter for the Onset Yacht Club. Later, he started his own contractor business.

He married Phyllis Boyd. They lived in Onset and West Wareham, raising five children: Rick, Jr., Patrick, Denise, Phillip and Peggy. He taught them all how to ice skate, swim in the ocean and eat lobster. The family moved to Maine in 1969, and all but Peggy, who lives in Pennsylvania, still reside in the Western Mountain area.

Dick kept his paint and paper business going, with some winters being employed at Sugarloaf Ski Resort. There he performed lift maintenance and operations and instituted the first emergency shutdown system for the T-bar lifts. In the 70s, the kids started leaving to find their own place in life, and he divorced, moving to Bangor, Maine. He continued with the painting business and did many hotels and motels in that area.

His son Patrick came out of the Army after his tour in Europe, and talked Dick into coming back to the Kingfield, Maine, area. He did, and took on the daunting task of papering the new four-story Sugarloaf Hotel. With the help of his son Phillip and wife Tracy, and a few hired hands, they finished it in three months.

Dick was an avid hunter, loving every moment with the boys. He also cherished buying and selling antiques and collectables. He loved dancing, and danced his way through life, only just recently giving up those dancing shoes at age 84. He now dances with angels and will be greatly missed. Dick has many grandchildren and great grandchildren. A memorial and grave side honor guard service is planned for the second weekend of May 2016.