Mitch & Muriel
Mitchell Cash, 92, of Pensacola and, most recently, Bothell, WA, died April 10, 2011. Born August 19, 1918 in Gary, Indiana, Mitch graduated from Horace Mann High School and later from Purdue University with a BS in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation in 1941 he joined the U.S. Navy, serving on active duty until 1961 and in the reserves till 1978, retiring as Captain.
He received his master’s degree from the University of Alabama in 1970 while employed by NASA at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, where he worked on the lunar landing module and the space station design. Mitch had three loves in his life. He married Muriel Grace Smith in1941, and they had three children and 51 happy years together.
Mitch & Marie
His “Second Love” was his 26-foot sloop, which he sailed solo and with friends around Florida and the Caribbean. After Muriel passed away, he drifted for a few years until he met his third love, Helen Marie Gebhardt, on a tour of the “great trains of Europe.” They fell in love at first sight on the Orient Express and married a few months later in 1999. They had many travels around the world, including the Mediterranean, the Pacific, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Alaska, taking as many train rides as they could. Mitch had a truly adventurous spirit and was active in the Fort Walton Sail and Power Squadron, teaching navigation by the stars and sailing.
Mitch, Art & Web
He also belonged to the Masons, the Pensacola Military Officers Association, the American Legion, and the Sons of the American Revolution.
He is survived by his wife, Marie, and his daughters, Laura Mitchell of Vista, CA and Sarah Relfe of Birmingham, AL. A son, Mitchell Cash, Jr., passed away in 2000. He is also survived by grandchildren Mitchell Relfe, Andrew Relfe, Christopher Kavanagh, Dess Aldredge Benedetto, Bradley Aldredge and Alexandra Park; by eight great-grandchildren; and by his brother, Arthur H. Cash of New York. A private service will be held in Kirkland, WA; followed by a full military honor ceremony at the Barancas National Cemetery, NAS, Pensacola on Monday, April 18, at 11:45 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the International Essential Tremor Foundation, http://www.essentialtremor.org/.