Biography: Mitch Jansonius, 75, of Little Rock, died on April 20, 2025, following a stroke. He was preceded in death in 2015 by his loving wife of almost 43 years, Lee-Ann Jansonius.

He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to the late Frederick Eric Jansonius and the late Phyllis Miller Jansonius on August 22, 1949. He is survived by his brother Neal Jansonius, sister-in-law Linda Jansonius, and niece Erin Marie Jansonius. Mitch is also survived by Lee-Ann’s brother, Doug Christian, by Doug’s family and by many Iowa cousins.

Mitch’s early days were spent on the Pine Bluff Arsenal, where his father was part of a team that monitored chemical weapon stockpiles. The family were members of the Pine Bluff Arsenal Community Church.

When the Army asked all civilians to vacate the Arsenal grounds, the Jansonius family moved to the White Hall, Arkansas area. Mitch was a member of the White Hall Methodist Church and graduated from White Hall High School in 1967.

Mitch was also a proud graduate of Hendrix College, majoring in Art, where he made life-long friends while designing stage sets for the Theatre Arts Department. Mitch and Lee-Ann’s early married years were spent as full-time employees of Silver Dollar City, where they had worked during college summer breaks.

Eventually, they made it home to Arkansas, where Mitch and Lee-Ann opened and operated an art gallery (The Heights Gallery) for 34 years. Mitch had an excellent eye for talent. The gallery specialized in introducing and representing works by emerging Arkansas artists. It was especially popular for holding Holiday Open Houses with a wide array of decorations and stunning Christmas tree ornaments.

Mitch enjoyed volunteering his stage design skills with the Community Theater. Mitch and Lee-Ann hosted exquisite dinners in their home, with Mitch serving as the primary chef. As gracious guests, they made any party more festive and fun. But he and Lee-Ann especially enjoyed cruises and world travel, including to Europe, South America, the Pacific Islands, India, China and Egypt.
Mitch was a well-rounded individual, loving books, cats, music, and gin (not necessarily in that order.) He will be remembered for his intelligence, wit, kindness, and long conversations with his friends

A memorial service, conducted by his long-time friend Dr. Ron Sisk of Loveland, Colorado, will be in the chapel of Ruebel Funeral Home at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 5, 2025. A reception in the parlor will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to F.U.R.R., Heifer International, The American Heart Association, or a favorite charity.

Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, RuebelFuneralHome.com