Biography: Jane Goodwill Mitchell, age 94, of Little Rock died peacefully on September 14, 2007, following a short illness. She is the widow of John Hesterly Mitchell and is survived by a son, John H. Mitchell, Jr. and his wife, Pat, of Maumelle; two granddaughters, Elizabeth Claire Hirscheider and husband, Carl, of Memphis and Emily Jane Oury and husband, Ted, of Maumelle; four great granddaughters, Amber, Courtney and Bailey Hirscheider of Memphis and Olivia Oury of Maumelle; a niece, Ann White Carter and husband, Bill; and a nephew, S. B. White, Jr. and wife, Mary Kay, all of Ruston, LA. She was predeceased by her parents, Donald and Ethel Dillon Goodwill; a sister, Dorothy Goodwill White, and a brother, Donald Goodwill, Jr. Jane was born and raised in Minden, Louisiana, and attended Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, Centenary College in Shreveport, and graduated from LSU in Baton Rouge in 1932 with a degree in English. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Jane felt that, at that time, college-educated women’s career opportunities were limited to nursing or teaching, neither of which she was particularly suited for or interested in. She wanted to be a secretary, so a deal with her father was struck: once she graduated from college, she could attend secretarial school and could pursue that career path. Following college graduation, Jane completed her secretarial course and, after working for two years for the superintendent of schools in Minden, she moved to Little Rock in 1935 to be the Executive Secretary to the Regional Director of the Farm Security Administration. She developed many, close friendships during her tenure with the Farm Security Administration. Shortly after coming to Little Rock she met John Mitchell, and they were married on October 31, 1938. A life-long Episcopalian, Jane attended the first service of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, conducted at the home of the late Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Law in Little Rock, and has been a faithful communicant of St. Mark’s since that time. She has, over the years, served St. Mark’s in a variety of capacities, such as President of the Church Women, as a member and Chairman of the Alter Guild and was an active participant in St. Cecilia’s Guild. In August 1958, Jane agreed to assist the Rev. W. A. Wilcox, the first Rector of St. Mark’s, as the Parish Secretary until he and the vestry could find an acceptable candidate to fill that position. Jane retired as Parish Secretary in October 1981. She was also proud to have been a member of the Women’s Emergency Committee, committed to opening Little Rock’s public schools in the late 1950s. She was an avid bridge player until the time of her death and enjoyed crossword puzzles and sporting events on television. Jane was very much a southern lady, incredibly patient and always forgiving. She is going to be missed by all of her family and friends. The family wishes to express its love and grateful appreciation for Kelly Cardenas, Jackie Brooks and Rebecca Cardenas, wonderful caregivers, who have diligently and faithfully provided support and companionship to Jane over the past several years, seeing to her every need and want. Special thanks are also extended to Paul Zelnick, MD, John Brizzolara, MD, and Kathleen Ederle, DDS, all of whom have provided extraordinarily caring and compassionate attention to Jane over the years. A memorial service celebrating Jane’s life will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1000 North Mississippi Avenue, at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 19, to be followed by a reception in the Parish Hall, with the Rev. Rocki Proffitt and the Rev. Cary Stone officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to The St. Mark’s Foundation, 1000 North Mississippi Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72205. Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home.www.ruebelfuneralhome.com