Nov. 16, 2004--Jane Evelyn Mitchell, 83, died Saturday, Nov. 13, at home in Delaware City, with her husband, Littleton Mitchell, at her side.

Mrs. Mitchell, the first African-American nurse to be employed in a hospital in Delaware, spent her professional career at the state of Delaware Psychiatric Hospital where she served as nurse, administrator and director of nursing services. She also was vice president of the Delaware Nurses Association, a member of the Delaware State Board of Nursing and served of president of that board.

A graduate of Howard High School Provident Hospital Nursing Program, she was graduated from the University of Delaware in 1963 and earned her master's degree from Washington College in Chestertown, Md.

A recipient of UD’s Medal of Merit, she was inducted into the Alumni Wall of Fame in 1998. She also served on the visiting committee of the College of Health and Nursing Sciences and helped to recruit minority students for its nursing program.

In 1999, the Delaware Psychiatric Center in New Castle was named in her honor. At the ceremony, she was cited as a “highly respected and revered citizen” who had “achieved significant and historical prominence in Delaware.”

Mrs. Mitchell’s other honors included being named Woman of the Year by the National Association of College Women, receiving the Award of Merit from the Delaware State Arts Council, receiving the Unsung Heroine Award from the NAACP and being inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women.

She was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Delaware City and was a dedicated volunteer for AARP, the American Cancer Society, Meals on Wheels and the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center. She was also a member of the NAACP and Sigma Theta Tau, the national nursing honor society

She is survived by her husband; a son, Philip V. Mitchell, and his wife, Ernestine; sisters, Elaine Harris and Arlene Watson; and a brother, Eugene Watson.

A funeral will be held at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, Washington & Henry streets, Delaware City. There will be no viewing.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Jane E. Mitchell Building, 1901 North Du Pont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720.