Our beloved Mitchell Summer passed away at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, with his loved ones by his side.
Mitch leaves his wife, Julie, of 41 years; his daughter, Lindsay; his son, Christopher; his mother, Sue Fisher; his brother-in-law, Jeff Christensen; his sister-in-law, Shannon Christensen; his brother-in-law, John Christensen; his sister-in-law, Jennifer Dix-Christensen; his niece, Clara Christensen; and many cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Andrew Summer.
Born in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1950, to Andrew Jackson Summer and Sue Carol (Creekmore) Fisher, Mitchell was an only child. While his father was in the Army, Mitchell and his mom settled on the family farm in east Tennessee. He attended schools in Tennessee. Upon graduation from high school, he was awarded a National Merit Scholarship and an ROTC Scholarship.
In 1967, he and his two best friends, Peter and John, left Tennessee to attend the University of California at Santa Barbara. And so began Mitch’s love of all things and people Californian.
In 1973, he graduated from UCSB and married his wife, Julie. Mitch and Julie moved to Monterey so Mitch could serve in the Army at Fort Ord, beginning as a second lieutenant and finishing as a captain. In 1976, back in Santa Barbara, Mitch with Julie raised their two children, Lindsay and Chris, and owned three businesses — a nursery, a computer service and a music studio.
Mitchell’s passion for life was his love for his family and friends. He loved the South Coast and all the activities associated with it — the beaches, the ocean, boating, running and walking on the beach, gardening and music. He also loved visiting his family each summer for a big reunion at the lake in Tennessee. He was a man of great intellect and humor with a great zest for life.
He will be greatly missed but not forgotten by all those whose lives he touched.
The family would like to extend sincere gratitude to the nurses and doctors of the Santa Barbara Medical Center, the Santa Barbara Gastroenterology Consultants, the Santa Barbara Kidney Center, the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the Visiting Nurses Association and the UCLA Medical Center for their kindness and support. A private military honors ceremony, scattering of ashes and celebration of life memorial to honor Mitchell occurred on the last day of summer, Sept. 20, 2014.
Arrangements were by Welch-Ryder-Haider Funeral Chapels. Memorial gifts may be made to any institution that promotes research and education of diabetes and liver and kidney disease.