Obituary of Mitchell Charles Lewis

An extraordinary and beloved soul, Mitchell Lewis, died at home on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, a few days short of their 24^th birthday on December 4, 1998.  Mitchell was a friend, a philosopher, an activist, a student, an artist, a hero, and much more.  Mitchell died of a brain tumor, and is survived by partner, Cameron Kunz of Wenatchee; parents, Julie Mullikin and Jeff Lewis of Olympia; grandparents, Mary and Steve Lewis of Sequim; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other loved ones. Mitchell is preceded in death by grandparents, Anne and Leonard Mullikin.

Mitchell lived a life filled with love for their family, friends, and strangers. Mitchell could connect with anyone they met. If you felt a special connection with Mitchell, it wasn’t simply because they were charming and kind, it was because they saw people for exactly who they were and loved them because of it. They made people feel safe and loved. Mitchell lived with cancer in the last two years of their life, and they viewed it as a nuisance, rather than something that could stop them from doing exactly what they wanted.

Mitch grew up in West Olympia and attended Garfield Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School and Capitol High School, and graduated in the Class of 2017.  Mitch lived in Bellingham, Washington from 2018 to 2022, where they earned their B.A. Degree in Japanese at Western Washington University, worked as a cook, and met Cameron and many other friends.  Mitch was passionate about music, painting, drawing, cooking, Japanese language and culture, and happily shared these passions.  Mitch loved making wonderful comfort food, experimental dishes, and extravagant meals for friends and family.  Mitch played the bass, piano, guitar, and drums; sang with reckless abandon; created music with friends; colored outside the lines; and found something to love in almost every variation of music on the planet.

Mitch died two weeks before their 24th birthday and 75 years too soon.  No massive moon crater or deep blue ocean could possibly hold all the sadness and loss this brings.  No one will have the good fortune to see this extraordinary person’s life play out in chapters 3 and 4 and beyond, and it feels like we’ve all been horribly robbed.  We are left with a hope/need to feel better, and an uncertainty as to how or if that will happen.  It’s only a small comfort, but Mitch’s short life was a life very well lived.  Among a multitude of extraordinary and everyday human qualities Mitch possessed is one that seems to stand out.  Mitch made friends, the real ones, the best ones, the ones that matter, the ones that have your back and show up and really care, because that’s who Mitch was, in the giblets, and that’s what Mitch wanted.  Mitch was very susceptible to real friends due to an inexplicable magnetism and gravitational pull for kids, dogs, otherwise ornery cats, and good humans of every sort.  It was unavoidable, and Mitch accepted this with good humor and a wonderful grace.  Mitch appreciated this but may not have realized how unique it was.  If you are reading this, you already know this about Mitch, and undoubtedly, you gratefully accepted it for the joy that it brought.  Mitch would wish for you to feel this joy when you think of your time together, and to inspire this joy.  And in their own quiet and humble way, Mitch would appreciate your love, give you a very big and very warm bear hug, and wish you peace now. 

A celebration of Mitch’s life is being planned for Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Abigail Stuart House in Olympia.  Please consider a donation to Pizza Klatch, POB 7384, Olympia, WA 98507 or to your local food bank to honor Mitch.

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.