FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Peace Corps mourns the loss of Jonathan Mitchell
WASHINGTON – Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen is saddened to confirm the death of Peace Corps volunteer Jonathan Mitchell of Iron Mountain, Michigan. Jonathan, 25, died from an automobile accident in Togo on September 4, 2018.
“Jon was a wonderful Peace Corps volunteer,” Director Olsen said. “He was passionate about the projects he led, helping to protect the environment and improve food security, and he was dedicated to building strong relationships throughout his community. The entire Peace Corps family is grieving his loss. We send our heartfelt sympathies to Jon’s parents and siblings, and we hope they can find some measure of comfort in knowing how much Jon means to the Peace Corps and to his community.”
Jonathan earned a
bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During his
college years, he worked on a farm, taught English in Vietnam, and produced
instructional videos in Kenya. In his free time, he enjoyed gardening, fishing,
and photography. He took pride in coming from a family with a long tradition of
service to others, and he looked forward to building on that legacy in Togo.
Before beginning his
Peace Corps service, Jonathan wrote of his eagerness to experience new cultures
and new perspectives. As a Peace Corps volunteer, he hoped to “gain
knowledge of another culture that is different from what I am accustomed to” and
in the process of this “invaluable experience,” he said, “I believe I will grow
and learn new things about myself.”
Jonathan is survived by his parents, Carol and Daniel Mitchell; his siblings and their spouses, Benjamin and Cyprine Mitchell, Joshua Mitchell, Alyssa and Patrick Gehndyu, Danielle and Matthew Yu, Meeyom Mitchell, Andrew and Stephanie Mitchell, and Trang and Ross Neubauer; his nieces and nephews Jayden, Zoe, Annabelle, Olivia, Mason, and Addison; his grandmothers Helen Mitchell and Beverley Cuddy; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins in Vietnam.
# # #
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide.
For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact us
All contactsGet press releases emailed to you right when they are issued.
Sign up now