Ken Mitchell Kept It Together So We All Didn't Fall Apart
Beloved Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Officer Dies
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TRENTON—Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Officer Kenneth Mitchell died early Thursday morning. He’d been fighting cancer for years.
His passing was officially announced on the departments’ Facebook page on Thursday.
“It is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing of Officer Kenneth Mitchell. Officer Mitchell passed after a long, hard fought battle with cancer. Officer Mitchell was a dedicated public servant for over 30 years with an infectious smile and a sense of humor that will be greatly missed. Please keep Officer Mitchell’s family, friends and fellow officers in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the post read.
Ken Mitchell made the papers a lot, for sports, for policing. One of the first times he was in the Ellsworth American was back in 1988 when MDI High School was thinking about getting rid of vocational programs.
Ken asked for permission to speak to the full school committee. “I feel the co-op program has helped me a lot,” LaRue Spiker reports him as saying. “It was a place where I could be somebody. I’m not sure I would have stayed in school without it.”
Ken did stay in school and he was definitely, always, somebody. A cop. A husband. A dad. A friend. A survivor. A goofball. A musician. A storyteller. A hero. A college student singing in his dorm room setting up a stereo and a microphone and getting everyone to sing along. A big brother to tons of local kids even back when he was a kid himself.
“We mourn the loss of our friend Ken Mitchell. He was a great officer and an even better human being,” said Mount Desert Town Manager Durlin Lunt. “Ken was a great family man and had great compassion for those he served and protected. He had great empathy for the youth of our community, particularly those that may have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Ken worked hard to help them get a second chance. Our prayers and thoughts are with Ken and his family.”
Second chances. Kindness. Stories. Generosity of heart. All of that described Ken Mitchell, but none of it comes close to the man who could make up stories about tree people, put grown men in stitches, and rhapsodize about food and music. Always music.
Ken would come into the Mount Desert Police Department dispatch office, coffee in hand and rhapsodize about how much he loved his family, his wife, his camp, his friends. He’d tell stories that were pretty much legendary about growing up in Bar Harbor on Ledgelawn Avenue. Kenny had a circle of experiences and stories and friends, but most of all? He had a circle of love.
In his duties as an officer for Mount Desert and Bar Harbor Police Departments and as a Hancock County Sheriff Deputy, Ken was involved in chases in mail boats, cars, and on foot. He consoled heartbroken spouses, calmed angry assailants, and enjoyed a good iced coffee from Dunkin’s. He helped kids find their way over and over again.
That’s not the stuff that makes the news media, but it’s the stuff that makes a man.
Hancock County Sheriff Scott Kane said that he always knew Ken was there if you needed help.
“He did a lot in support of domestic violence victims and victims in general. He always had a great attitude and was very even tempered. I guess the best thing I can say was he was a good officer and a better person. He will be missed,” Kane said.
Ken was a major player in the county’s Domestic Violence Task Force in the early 2000s.
Linda Lunt posted on Ken’s social media page writing something similar. “He was an incredible police officer ~ genuine, honest, and friendly~ Remembering today the difference he made in so many lives, particularly women fleeing domestic violence. A life well lived. Rest in peace, Kenny.”
Ken made a positive impact on stages and in interactions, even those sorts of interactions that wouldn’t seem to earn him fans.
A man once came into the Mount Desert Police Department dispatch. The guy was about twenty-five, did construction, and needed to get a parking permit.
He looked through the half door at the counters, the monitors, looked at Ken, and announced while a parking pass was being retrieved, “Ken arrested me once. He’s the s*7$.”
The swear was said as a compliment.
“You doing okay?” Ken asked.
“Yeah, man, thanks to you,” he said when staff pulled out a Sharpie and he filled out the permit tag for his vehicle.
They talked like old friends. Ken treated most people like old friends and they usually became just that.
One of the most high profile cases Ken was involved in was when he was a sheriff’s deputy and a Massachusetts fugitive was hunkered down in Orland at the H.O.M.E. Co-op. During the June 1999 event, Richard R. Burdick, who was wanted in Massachusetts for charges of child rape, shot Deputy Jeffrey McFarland twice in the chest. Former Hancock County Sheriff Department Lieutenant and former Bar Harbor Mount Desert Police Chief James Willis returned fire, wounding Burdick. Mitchell covered the two officers as they escaped from the building. Mitchell and Willis received medals of valor.
He and his wife, Sonya Gifford Mitchell, were part of a network of friends—many police and firefighter family—who supported each other as they lost each other in recent years. Those losses included Sheriff Deputy Luke Gross and Ellsworth Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert “Bobby” Dorr.
Those terrifying moments eventually turned into good stories and Ken was always a storyteller, but what made him tick was the people he loved, people like his children and people like his wife, Sonya.
“She’s the love of my life,” he’d say over and over again, a sparkle in his eyes as he’d take a sip of coffee before continuing. “I don’t know how she puts up with me.”
Ken was actually easy to put up with. He mentored countless officers throughout the county, went to game after game, worried about his people, exulted in his vacations, teased that he was actually born in Chicago and not officially Bar Harbor.
But so many of his memories were made here and he made so many other memories for other people here, too. His influence was huge. His humor legendary.
He was, and always will be, a somebody, but not just a somebody. Officer Ken Mitchell, dad, friend, mentor, was somebody that people loved.
Ken’s obituary.
Kenneth Peter Mitchell, 61, died after a long courageous battle with cancer on October 24, 2024, at his home. He was born the son of Carlton L. and Gloria (Phelps) Mitchell on April 1, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois.
Ken was a graduate of MDI High School, after which he went on to study criminal justice at the University of Maine in Orono. Upon graduation he started his 30-year law enforcement career with the Town of Mount Desert PD. Ken then worked at the Portland PD and Hancock County Sheriff's Dept. before making a full circle back to the Town of Mount Desert. He also worked as a Victim Witness Advocate for the District Attorney's office and was passionate about working with domestic violence victims and children of sexual assault. He could often be found at "Coffee with a Cop" events or in Northeast Harbor at a community café lunch. He was instrumental in bringing the "Good Morning" program to the island. Ken was a role model in the community and at home. He packed a lot of love, laughter, and memories into the time we had with him. He was always up for an adventure and loved to travel and explore new places. He enjoyed summers camping at Patten Pond which included singing and playing harmonica around the campfire, and cookouts with his family and friends. Ken was the rock of his family and a faithful follower of Christ which helped him throughout his illness. Until we meet again.
Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Sonya (Gifford) Mitchell; son, Jarod Mitchell and daughter-in-law, Rebecca Mitchell, of Brewer; his son, Justin Mitchell and daughter-in-law, Haley Mitchell, of Fern Park, FL; his daughter, Courtney Read and son-in-law, Kenneth Read, of Milbridge; his son, Aiden Mitchell of Trenton; six grandchildren, Connor, Amelia, Sophia, Sienna, Carson, and Mackenzie; one brother, Lawrence Mitchell of Trenton; one sister-in-law, Rebecca Mitchell of Lamoine; and one brother-in-law, Carroll Gifford and wife, Jody Gifford, of Union. Ken was predeceased by his parents; and brothers, James Mitchell and Carlton Mitchell Jr.
Donations may be made to Mount Desert Police Association, P.O. Box 967, Mt. Desert, ME 04660. Arrangements in care of Jordan-Fernald, 113 Franklin St., Ellsworth. Condolences may be expressed at jordanfernald.com.
Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Fundraiser'
“As you may know, our department has been fundraising for No Shave November earlier than normal in October. Our intention this year was to look after one of our own as we realized his time with us was shorter than we had hoped. This year, all proceeds from our department raising money for No Shave November will go to the family of Officer Kenneth Mitchell for bills, memorial expenses, and any other needs they may have. We hope that you will continue to share the link to our Go Fund Me and help us show the family support in any way possible to ease their burden.”
The link to that GoFundMe is here.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m., November 2, 2024, at Mt. Desert Island High School, 1081 Eagle Lake Rd, Bar Harbor.
To sign Ken’s tribute book, please go to this link.
Disclosure: Both Shaun Farrar and I worked with Ken. We will be among the many who miss him.
This story was updated on October 28 to include Ken’s obituary.
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We both worked with Ken at MDPD a few years back. He was a great guy, I always enjoyed working with him, very professional, yet a great friend to just gab and talk to.
What a beautiful tribute Carrie. And what an inspiration to us all to strive to be the kind of somebody that Kenny was. ❤️