Holden
Many will be saddened to hear that Margaret Edith Walker Mitchell passed away with family by her side on Oct. 26, 2020, at her daughter’s home in Nottingham, N.H. She was born on April 27, 1933, in Seawall, the daughter of Joseph and Ruth Billings Walker.
Margaret graduated from Pemetic High School, Southwest Harbor, in 1951. From the late ’40s to the mid-’50s, she worked summers at her mother’s and stepfather’s restaurant — The Seawall Dining Room on Mount Desert Island. She also worked several winters at the Hillsboro Club, Pompano Beach, Fla.
Margaret and her husband of 55 years, Alton E. Mitchell, who passed away earlier this year, lived in Holden, where together they proudly built by hand their family home. Margaret was a wonderful stay-at-home mother back when it was the thing to do. She enjoyed working outdoors and created beautiful gardens, a lily pond and sitting areas to relax and enjoy the panoramic views.
Margaret was also a huge animal lover and attributed it to her grandfather, Raymond D. Billings. She spent most of her childhood on his nearby farm, where he allowed her to keep any kind of animal she acquired in a small corner of his barn. That love of animals eventually led her to owning and operating her own kennel, Meadowmere Labrador Retrievers, her biggest joy and accomplishment. For 40-plus years she bred, raised and trained her dogs for show, obedience, hunting and companionship. A lot of her clients would stay in touch with her by sending Christmas cards, pictures and news of their Meadowmere puppies’ accomplishments. In August 1990, two of her Meadowmere puppies were chosen for The Swiss Institute for Dogs for the Blind program in Allschui, Switzerland.
She also loved to travel and was able to combine that with her dog business by traveling throughout the Northeast, Canada, Bermuda and Puerto Rico showing her Labs to earn championships, obedience titles, working certificates and junior hunters. She was especially proud of three of her Meadowmere dogs that went on to become master hunters.
Margaret is survived by her two daughters: Waverly Mitchell Cotton of Nottingham, N.H., and Susan Mitchell Robinson (husband – David) of Sidney; four grandchildren: Miranda Cotton Almeida (husband – Alex), Lindsay Cotton, Andrew Beal (wife – Natasha) and Matthew Beal; two great-granddaughters: Olivia and Mia Almeida; several cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Alton; her parents; stepfather, Kenneth Amiro; and a half-sister, Agnes Walker Thompson.
At the request of the deceased, there will be no funeral service. Margaret’s ashes will be buried along with Alton’s in the summer of 2021.
Her family suggests that if relatives and friends desire they may make memorial contributions to one of the following: 1) Southwest Harbor Historical Society-Capital Campaign, P.O. Box 272, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679; 2) American Lung Association, www.lung.org; 3) Labrador Retriever Rescue Inc., www.labrescue.com.