Harold "Mitch" Curtiss Mitchell

Harold “Mitch” Curtiss Mitchell, 82, of Luverne MN, formerly of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne, MN. His graveside service will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Hills of Rest Cemetery Cremation Garden in Sioux Falls. Memorials may be directed to the Minnesota Veteran’s Home in Luverne, MN, in Mitch’s name.

Harold Curtiss “Mitch” Mitchell was born on February 15, 1944, to Harold and Margaret (Miller) Mitchell. He lived in Luverne, Minnesota, until age 10, when he moved to Hardwick, Minnesota. As a child, he enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brother and attended Luverne public schools. After school, he worked as a power lineman and at Luverne Bumper Co. He later moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he worked for KW Manufacturing until retiring.

Mitch enlisted in the Army in May 1965 and served for two years and then transferred to the Army Reserves until May of 1971.

Mitch never married, but he shared a 41-year relationship with Marlene VanDenBerg until her passing in 2016. While they were dating, Marlene decided she did not care for the name Harold and began calling him “Mitch.” From then on, he was known locally as Mitch.

Motorcycles were one of Mitch’s greatest passions. When he was not riding, he could usually be found in his garage, spending hours tinkering with his bikes. He attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for 40 consecutive years, camping in a tent, people-watching, and catching up with friends he had met there.

Another hobby that became a passion was flying radio-controlled aircraft. Mitch enjoyed both the painstaking work of building model planes and the reward of flying them. When he was not riding his motorcycle, he could often be found at Dakota Flyers Field with one of his many planes.

In the fall, Grandpa Mitch could usually be found at the kitchen table painting pumpkin after pumpkin, from small four-inch ones to much larger varieties. In some years, he painted more than 100. Marlene somehow became responsible for deciding who received a pumpkin and how many each person could take. She usually set aside her favorites, but they both quietly delighted in sharing the painted pumpkins with family.

On Wednesday nights, Mitch and Marlene began a tradition of making Big as a Pan Pancakes for anyone free to visit. The recipe continues to be passed down through many branches of the family.

Whenever family visited, Grandpa somehow always had popcorn ready to share. If someone asked, there was usually a bag to take home as well, and popcorn balls were also available in the fall.

Although Mitch never had children, he considered Marlene’s four children his own. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were among his greatest joys. He loved children and was a wonderful grandpa.

Grateful for having shared his life are his children, Gregg (Lynette Salonen) VanDenBerg of Sioux Falls, Joan (Curt Dressen) Swanson of Tyler, MN, Rich (Vicki) VanDenBerg of Hartford, SD, and Emily (Scott) Gacke of Lake Andes, SD; 12 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Marvis Mitchell of Luverne, MN; and nephews, Jon Mitchell and his daughter, Samara, of Luverne, MN, and Jeff (Sarah) Mitchell of Fargo, ND.

Mitch was preceded in death by his parents, William and Margaret (Miller) Mitchell; sister, Patricia Latten; brother, Donald “Donny” Mitchell; life partner of 41 years, Marlene VanDenBerg; and grandson, John Swanson.