JAFFREY — On July 12, 2010, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather Robert V. Mitchell Sr. of Jaffrey Center was called home to be with Our Lord.

Bob was born in Saugus, Mass., on May 15, 1922, son of the late Thomas and Hazel (Brown) Mitchell. His family moved to Lynn, Mass., in 1924, where he grew up.

Bob graduated from Lynn Classical High School in 1940 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Prior to that he was an apprentice boiler maker at the Boston Naval Yard. He finished two years at M.I.T. and worked at Danvers State Hospital while waiting to go off to active duty. It was there that he met his wife-to-be, Hilda, in 1942.

From there he went to Coffeyville, Kan., for basic flight school (single engine trainers) He graduated from flight school at Eagle Pass, Texas, in May 1943 as a single-engine fighter pilot. From there he went to Garden City, Kan., as a basic flying instructor and married the love of his life, Hilda, on Aug. 23,1943. From there he went to Sherman Texas, then on to Sebring, Fla., for B-17 transition (four engines). He then went on to Montgomery, Ala., where he checked out in B29’s as aircraft commander.

He separated from the service and took a job bush flying for Sky Lodge in Jackman, Maine. He went back in to the service at Hanscom Field as a staff sergeant in basic operations. He re-applied for his commission to go back to active duty as a first lieutenant when Russia blockaded Berlin in 1948, got his commission back and flew 104 missions in the Berlin airlift in a C-54. In 1954 he was Chief Controller of Radar Operations Center for southern Germany, stationed in Freising.

He was stationed in Minnesota twice, in Grandview, Mo., and went to Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Ala., and later on to a remote assignment in Armstrong, Ontario, Canada.

He ended up at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, where he commanded a squadron of EC-121’s.

From there he went to Ohio and on to fly reconnaissance missions over Vietnam as squadron commander, flying 94 missions. From there he went to his final assignment in Colorado Springs as deputy test director of AWAGS.

He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1974 and moved to New Hampshire in 1975. He and his wife, Hilda, bought their home in Jaffrey Center. Concerned about trash disposal, he became Jaffrey’s spokesman at the Southwestern Solid Waste District Meetings. He was a Jaffrey selectman from 1986 to 1989 and was director of N.H. Resource Recovery Association. He gave many presentations on recycling to students in district schools as a member of the Jaffrey-Rindge School District Recycling Committee.

Since retirement he worked very hard on his acreage that he loved so much, and rode his horse Nugget. He was a active in the First Church in Jaffrey Center. He was a Mason also was active as a Gideon.

A special moment in his life was when he had the honor of flying President Truman.

He leaves behind his wife of 67 years, Hilda (Brown) Mitchell; five children, Robert V. Mitchell Jr. and his wife, Marilyn; Gary E. Mitchell and wife Sue, Jan Schiering and her husband, Jim, Dianne Lebsock and husband Allen, Gail Schavrien and husband Randy; 21 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; his brother, Harold Mitchell.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two brothers, Edward and Donald Mitchell, and his sister, Erdine Mitchell.

There will be no calling hours.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the First Church of Jaffrey, Jaffrey Center. The Rev Robert Kyte, pastor, will officiate. Burial with full military honors will be in the Heil-Phillips Cemetery on Fitzwilliam Road in Jaffrey at 4 p.m.

For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to either the First Church of Jaffrey UCC, 14 Laban Ainsworth Way, Jaffrey 03452 or to the Good Shepherd Activity Fund, 20 Plantation Drive, Jaffrey 03452.

The Cournoyer Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 33 River St., Jaffrey is assisting the family with arrangements. To view an online memorial, send a condolence to the family or for more information visit www.cournoyerfh.com.