Entrepreneur, sports enthusiast, longtime resident
Robert Mitchell. (Courtesy photo)
Robert Marshall Mitchell Jr., 76, of Harvard died of a heart attack Saturday Aug. 30 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Born June 1, 1938, in Boston to Robert and Janet Sawyer Mitchell, he was raised in Wellesley and graduated from Wellesley High after attending Fessenden and Belmont Hill. From a young age, “Mitch” embodied the entrepreneurial spirit, working as a Fuller Brush salesman and starting up car simonizing and “Hole in One” club businesses as well as the dear-to-his-heart M&M Landscaping Company. He earned his college degree at nearby Babson College where he won the college’s distinguished Business Initiative award and was instrumental in the founding of the school’s men’s hockey program. His friendships with several of his Delta Sigma Pi fraternity brothers lasted a lifetime.
Upon graduation, Mitchell joined the B.F. Goodrich Company as a salesman covering the New England region. He later joined the Hope Company and went on to a lifetime career in industrial sales and distribution, culminating with his founding of Omni Services, Inc. in Worcester in 1976. As founder and CEO for nearly 40 years, he built a company that thrives to this day. Aside from his family, Omni Services remained his one true love, his baby.
Mitchell will be remembered for his profound belief in the good of people. This belief, combined with his natural optimism and strong “can do” attitude, was at the heart of his personal and business success and helps explain both his exceptional generosity and his penchant for taking risks. In his approach to life, Mitch was an honorary member of the “Go Big or Go Home” club. Half-measures were decidedly not his style. His belief in the power of technology was yet another testimony to his progressive nature; he was a man who was always looking forward to see “opportunity”—never backward, and never with regret.
He liked gardening and reading on his Kindle. He was a diehard supporter of his New England sports teams. As a talented golfer, he enjoyed many of his favorite days on the fairways of Oak Hill, The International and Kittansett. He loved to travel, albeit to a certain standard. Introduced at an early age to Bermuda, he maintained his affection for the island throughout his life. His other island love was Martha’s Vineyard, and between these two special places, he created a lifetime of unforgettable experiences and wonderful memories for his family and dear friends. Everyone who knew Mitch well will remember fondly the twinkle in his eyes, his impish grin, and his unique local accent that even his dear Siri wrestled to comprehend. Robert Marshall Mitchell Jr. will be missed, deeply, by many.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Susan; his younger brother Chris and wife Susan; and his two beloved daughters, Karen Brandvold and Sandy Sloan, their husbands Paal and Scott; and his four grandchildren Connor, Amalie, Liam, and Victoria (and his grand-dog-daughter Zoey).
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. at The International Golf Club in Bolton, Mass. Please omit flowers. Instead, those who wish to do so may make memorial gifts to Babson College Men’s Hockey Team, c/o Babson College, P.O. Box 57310, 231 Forest St., Babson Park, MA 02457 and/or the American Diabetes Association NE Chapter, 10 Speen St., 2nd Floor, Framingham, MA 01701.
