Sarah Joanne Mitchell

Sarah Joanne Mitchell, 75, a resident of Mt. Crawford, Virginia, passed away on April 24, 2023, surrounded by family. She was born on February 27, 1948, in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1952, her family moved to the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area where her father worked for the Zondervan Publishing House and later ran a hardware store and repair shop. Her beloved mother, Marjorie, passed away when Sarah was 14. Sarah was a talented pianist and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where she earned a diploma in sacred music in 1969. After graduating, she married Edwin Nordine, a fellow student from Moody. They welcomed a daughter, Katie, in 1976 while Sarah was an adjunct piano instructor at Greenville College; they later lived in Texas and Michigan while pursuing graduate degrees and careers. After the family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1987, Sarah was an invaluable employee in several departments at Palm Beach Atlantic College. While employed full-time, she began to work toward earning her Ph.D. in adult education from Nova Southeastern University. She moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1994 and became a consultant for the computer software company CMDS (later Jenzabar) and finished and successfully defended her doctoral dissertation. She traveled extensively in her professional role, consulting for colleges and universities across North America and in several countries in Europe and Africa. She was highly respected and liked by her clients. Sarah's favorite activities were working on restoring her historic home, gardening, sewing, needlepoint, and shopping for antiques. She collected many antiques and pieces of art during her travels and after retiring from her career had several booths at the Factory Antique Mall in Verona, Virginia, where she enjoyed displaying, talking about, and selling her beautiful and extensively-researched pieces.

Sarah is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Katie and Emin Toro of McLean, Virginia; three grandchildren; two brothers: Vernon Samuel (Sharon) Mitchell and Joe (Raelyn) Mitchell; a stepmother, Rachel Cole; and four half-siblings: Nathan Mitchell, Jason (Lee) Mitchell, Joel (Jodi) Mitchell, and Elizabeth (David) Wynsma.

A graveside service will be held at Lantz Cemetery, 1950 North Rd., Carlock, Illinois, at 1:00 pm on May 19. A reception will follow at Miller Park Pavilion, 1122 S. Morris Ave., Bloomington. Memorial contributions may be made in Sarah's name to the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE 19735), one of Sarah's favorite historical sites, or to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (1025 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20005).