Colson West Mitchell, 90, Was Native of Chilmark

Colson West Mitchell of Vineyard Haven, age 90, died on Dec. 17. He was the son of the late Adelbert Colson Mitchell and Iva Maye Mitchell.

Colson was a 10th-generation descendant of Thomas Mayhew. He was born at Quansoo in Chilmark at the family farm, the oldest house on the Island, where the Mayhew family descendants lived for 348 years. He was also an 11th-generation descendant of John Howland, one of the Mayflower Pilgrims.

Colson worked on the family farm in his early life and took care of first his father and then later, his mother. He attended grammar schools in Chilmark and in West Tisbury and was graduated from the Vineyard Haven High School. Colson was an avid reader and was interested in political science and always followed state and national elections closely. He loved cats and was always concerned about the treatment of animals.

He is survived by his sister, Natalie Kinkeade of Revere, Mo., and his brother, Donald Mitchell of Vineyard Haven; six cousins, three nieces, three nephews, eight grandnieces and grandnephews and seven great-grandnieces and nephews.

A memorial celebration will be held at the Agricultural Hall in the spring. Colson's grandfather, Capt. West Mitchell, helped establish the old agricultural hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), P.O. Box 2097, Edgartown, MA 02539. Arrangements are under the care of Chapman Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.