Donny was truly one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever known. I am fortunate to have called him a close friend and mentor for thirty years. He had an impact on my life that was only matched by my own father, and he will live on in my thoughts until the day I leave this earth. I will miss you, Donny.

Donnie, I met you 30 years ago at the Chop. You were a great friend and a great co-worker. Many people will miss you dearly.

Your name is going on. I stated this at gathering at the farm on that warm day when my mom left us. I held him up in my arms and I said This is "Mitchell Allen Cosgrove" And I will state this again. The name will go on "Mitchell Allen Cosgrove. My wife Sharon and I will meet you someday and find a clam place for us to be together again

Donnie Mitchell wove a long thread through Martha's Vineyard history from pre-Revolutionary days, through the whaling and fishing eras, down to recent times. He carried this quilt through his life and, at least for me, became the sand and the sea, the cod and the quahog, a smoothed and beautiful piece of beach glass I could always trust I'd find on a solitary beach walk. Donnie was soft-spoken and modest and so very kind. As Kipling wrote, "... he couldn't lie if you paid him and he'd starve before he stole." He melted my heart whenever I sat with him which, thankfully, of late had been more than less. He was a devoted husband and friend to anyone looking for a friend doing what any old salt must do at eighty-seven: Navigating the dangerous shoals and rough waters of late life. My respect for him was unbounded. May his breath be free from the restless tides and may he gain everything in the dying.