Laurel Jeanne Drushel Mitchell, 65, passed away
Aug. 1, 2013, in Baton Rouge after a lengthy illness.
The daughter of Harry and Maxine Drushel, Laurel was born Jan 19, 1948, in Pittsburgh, Pa. The family moved to Baton Rouge 10 years later. She graduated from Broadmoor High School in
1965 and attended LSU, where she joined Alpha Phi sorority. She married James R. “Jim” Mitchell in 1967. Laurel helped found The Bridal Boutique in Baton Rouge before moving to Leesville in 1971. There she raised two daughters and was active in the
community, her church and the arts.
Laurel was a talented painter, seamstress and cook, but her greatest passion was history. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history with honors at Northwestern State University and became
one of the most popular instructors at NSU’s Fort Polk campus. Later, she also taught history at Baton Rouge Community College and Lone Star College in Houston.
Laurel was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Faith Drushel Singh.
She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Mitchell Canaday and her husband Nicholas of Austin, Texas; daughter, Jaymie Mitchell Wright and her husband Sam of Leesville; grandchildren, Annabelle, Jill and Jimmy Smith of Leesville; brother, Ronald
Drushel and his wife Brenda of Baton Rouge; ex-husband, Judge Jim Mitchell of Leesville; and several beloved nieces and nephews.
Visitation is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 5, with a funeral service at 10 a.m. on Aug. 6, both at the
First Baptist Church of Leesville. The service will be followed by a burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.
To extend condolences to the Mitchell family, friends and family may contact them at www.jeanefs.com or call Jeane’s Funeral Service at (337) 238-1700 for further information.