Stephen “Mitch” Mitchell
The obituary for Stephen “Mitch” Mitchell is posted here: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/24852307/mitch.
There are several articles and posts about “Mitch” online and the impact he had on his hometown community of Mount Prospect, IL. Some of these are:
*https://www.dailyherald.com/20240102/news/mount-prospect-memorial-bench-honors-friendly-neighbor/
From the Daily Herald article:
Memorial bench downtown honors a friendly neighbor
January 3, 2024 | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
Author/Byline: Steve Zalusky szalusky@dailyherald.com | Page: 4 | Section: News
In a town that prides itself as a place where friendliness is a way of life, a bench stands as a tribute to a simple friendly gesture.
The bench at the corner of Emerson Street and Northwest Highway near the Starbucks in downtown Mount Prospect pays tribute to Stephen “Mitch” Mitchell.
It was built with funds raised by Mount Prospect resident Shamus Thornton and the assistance of the village’s public works department. Mitchell, a Mount Prospect resident, died of cancer at age 45 on May 15, 2022.
“I started off my GoFundMe by saying that I just knew him from exiting Starbucks and him saying ‘Hi’ and me saying ‘Hi’ back,“ said Thornton, a retired business analyst.
Thornton said he grew to admire this “Steampunk dude” who was open and friendly and had a “real cool bike.”
“I saw this guy, and he was unashamedly himself, just unabashedly himself,” he said. “The way he presented himself with his dyed hair, and he wore a spiked dog collar and had a decked-out bike with leather and spikes and then he was just a very friendly guy. I did not know him well, but I liked him.”
Thornton learned of his passing from a Mount Prospect Facebook group.
“It came as a sad shock, because he was just kind of a personality about the village and a lot of people were talking about him and and saying, ‘There ought to be a memorial,’” he said.
Knowing that the village had installed a memorial bench near village hall in honor of Ron Wantuch, a resident who died in 2020, Thornton contacted the public works department. He was told a new bench would probably cost about $2,500.
He started a GoFundMe online fundraiser and began promoting it, passing out fliers at places where Mitch would hang out, emailing village trustees and the mayor, and mentioning it at Mount Prospect’s Coffee With Council.
“Everybody I talked to had a positive something to say about Mitch,” he said." “He had held the door open for them. He had sold them a T-shirt. He had sold them a comic book. He had gone bike riding with them.”
Eventually, he reached his goal and contacted public works.
He was in New Zealand on the way to visit his aunt for her 85th birthday, when he received a call at Auckland Airport. It was Matt Stickels from public works, who told him the bench was approved.
“I was just flabbergasted,” Thornton said.
When he asked where it would be, Stickels said it would be where Thornton wanted it.
All that was left was the final decision about the wording on the bench. One of the donors suggested, “Never be afraid to say, ‘Hi.’”
Stickels, who oversees the public benches in the downtown area for the village, said public works removed an existing bench and installed the new engraved one.
He said the village now has a procedure in place for someone requesting a bench. They should call public works’ general number (847) 870-5640. One would need to submit an application for approval.