Richard Clare Mitchell, Jr., 75, passed away on Tuesday, February 25 ^th , at St. Joseph's Hospital, after an extended illness.  He was born on May 9, 1944 in Oswego, NY, to the late Richard Clare and Anamae (McGrath) Mitchell.  Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Marilyn Mitchell.

Richard called Oswego home for all of his life and chose to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy time with many family members and friends there.  He was a proud graduate of Oswego Catholic High School, Gettysburg College, where he studied economics, and Cornell University School of Law.

Richard was a practicing attorney for nearly 50 years at Mitchell, Mitchell and Palmer in Oswego.  He possessed a passion and acumen for the law, and his work brought him great fulfillment throughout his career.  He was the past president of the Oswego County Bar Association. In 2011, he received the AV Preeminent distinction of having "The Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards".

When not working, Richard loved spending time with family, relaxing in his backyard, and boating on the waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. He also loved the time he spent with his wife Teresa walking on the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He enjoyed playing golf with his partner Carl Miller, and cherished the many great friends he made during his years as a member of the Oswego Country Club. He was an enthusiastic sports fan, especially of Syracuse University's basketball and football teams.  He also enjoyed biking, canoeing, and dancing with Teresa, his wife of 17 years. In his youth he was even known to play a little basketball, pencil sketch, and try his hand at the accordion and guitar.

Richard's faith was of great importance and comfort to him.  He was a parishioner at St. Paul's Church for many years and most recently was a communicant of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Minetto, NY.

Richard was truly loved and will be profoundly missed by many, including his wife, Teresa (Reilly) Mitchell, his children and step-children, Richard C. Mitchell, Carolyn (Jeff) Adams, Matthew (Tarra) Mitchell, and Brian (Laurie) Mitchell, Stephanie Reilly, Chris (Lilly) Reilly, and Katie Reilly; his grandchildren, Nathaniel Adams, Ian Adams, Arianna Lopez; Amelia Mitchell, Ethan Mitchell, Owen Mitchell, Maia Mitchell, Mateo Reilly, and Grayson Reilly: his sister Pamela (Richard) Palmer, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30am Tuesday, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Minetto.

Burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery.

Calling hours will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 Monday, at the Dain-Cullinan Funeral Home, 112 East Second Street in Oswego.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at www.jdrf.org.