MISS IDA LORETTA MITCHELL, age 95, of Bill Mitchell Road-Summerville, Georgia, Gore Community, passed away Sunday, April 24, 2011. Born in Polk County, Georgia on November 24, 1915, she was a daughter of the late Lumpkin Wade and Sarah Herring Mitchell. Miss Mitchell was a member of Bethel United Methodist Church and until retirement in 1980 served as Principal at City Park Elementary in the Dalton, Georgia School system.

She is survived by her sister Mildred Padgett of Calhoun and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Pauline Mitchell, Helen Mitchell , Lamar (Bud) Mitchell , Howard Mitchell , Bill Mitchell, Ann Morgan, and Miriam Harper.

Miss Ida attended Young Harris College, received her BA from Georgia Southern and her Masters in Education from Emory University. She taught in LaFayette and in Dalton where she was principal of City Park Elementary. At City Park she also taught art and many of her students win prizes in state-wide competitions. She also was a avid supporter of reading and she began a very innovative children’s literature author in residence program at her school. Several well-known authors came to Dalton and spent a week inspiring students to be life-long lovers of books.

Her many nieces and nephews also learned from her. She often gave them books as gifts and she discussed favorite books with them. Many of those books have now been passed to a second and even third generation in the Mitchell family. Also, she taught them the importance and joys of family by hosting a Thanksgiving family reunion at her home for almost thirty years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made either to Bethel United Methodist Church in Gore where Ida was a life time member, or to the Methodist Children’s Home, Columbia Drive, Decatur, Georgia.

Visitation will be on Saturday, April 30th, at Bethel United Methodist Church with the service to follow at 2:00, interment in Summerville Cemetery.

Earle Rainwater Funeral Home in charge.