Velern Steadman Mitchell

Funeral services for Velern Mitchell will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at Blanchard - St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, LA with Rev.’s William Hassan and Weyland Gauntt officiating. Interment will follow at Fern Park Cemetery in Natchitoches, LA. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm on May 31, 2016 at Blanchard - St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, LA. Velern, 90 years of age, passed away May 29, 2016. She was born August 3, 1925 in Powhatan, LA. "Momo" or "Mitch", as she was called, retired from Northwestern State University, where she was a telephone operator for information. She was a longtime member of Old Bethel Baptist Church. She enjoyed crocheting and embroidery, as well as raising flowers and watching birds in her yard. She will be greatly missed. She is survived by one son, Malcolm Boyd Durr and wife Elizabeth; four grandsons, Marcus Brian Durr, Matthew Benjamin Durr, Eric Jason Hassan, and Thomas "Toby" Hassan; one sister, Jeanette Boylston; two nieces, Kathy Richardson and Elizabeth Bonnette; two nephews, Terry Steadman and Tim Steadman; and four great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Mitchell; her parents, Larry Steadman and Melvie Keene Steadman; and her brothers, Larry Steadman, Jr. and John Gilford Steadman. Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Kevin Berry, Don Montet, Frank Sims, James Strickland, Bo Walker, and Stanley Davis. Honorary pallbearers will be Bobby Fair, Wayne LaCaze, and the Brothers Keepers Chapter #17. The family would like to thank Natchitoches Regional Medical center, Thompson Home Health, Natchitoches Hospice, and Natchitoches Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for all of their support and care over the past two years.