Date of Birth: 03/16/1953

Date of Death: 08/10/2026

Burial and Interment Information: Private

Obituary and Services

In Loving Memory of Paul Henry Mitchell

Paul Henry Mitchell passed away on August 10, 2026. He was born in Toronto, Canada, on March 16, 1953, the son of Harry and Diana Mitchell.

Paul's early years were filled with adventure. His family lived in Canada before returning to England, making the journey home by driving across America in a big old Buick before sailing from Miami aboard what turned out to be a banana boat full of spiders, a story Paul loved to tell.

Back in England, Paul attended Portsmouth Grammar School before entering Dartmouth Naval College and later Manadon, the Royal Navy's engineering college. As a Midshipman aboard HMS Chichester, his service took him to Hong Kong, Ghana and South Africa. He left the Navy in 1975, but the sea would remain an important part of his life.

An entrepreneur at heart, Paul tried his hand at everything from selling strawberries door to door from a moped to the family car and truck rental business, teaching and car sales, eventually finding a way to combine his entrepreneurial spirit with his lifelong love of sailing.

Paul was the proud father of Alex and Alice and the very proud grandfather of Anashe, Talya and Beti.

A Sailor at Heart

Paul's love of sailing came naturally. His father, Harry Mitchell, was an accomplished and well-respected sailor. In 1995, at age 70, Harry was tragically lost at sea while competing in the 1994-95 BOC solo round-the-world yacht race.

Paul was immensely proud of his father. Following Harry's death, Paul traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, where the race had begun and ended, for a celebration of Harry's life. Charleston would eventually become an important part of Paul's own story.

Paul left England to begin a new life in Charleston, eventually settling on Folly Beach. Charleston became much more than the place Paul lived, it became home.

Aboard his yacht, Blue Horizon, Paul built a successful charter and cruise business, taking guests into Charleston Harbor and around Fort Sumter, sometimes running as many as three charters a day. He also delivered boats along the coast for other owners. For Paul, it hardly seemed like work. He was happiest on the water, sharing Charleston and his love of sailing with others.

Paul also became active in his church community and traveled to Guyana on mission trips, helping raise funds and build schools.

A New Chapter with Denise

During the COVID pandemic, Paul decided it was time to find someone special and turned to the dating site BlackPeopleMeet.com , perhaps not the most obvious choice for an Englishman named Paul Mitchell, but as it turned out, a very good one!

That's where he met Denise on July 29, and things moved quickly. Paul proposed on October 23 and, never one to do anything halfway, planned the entire wedding himself. They were married on November 21.

Paul and Denise shared a deep love, an adventurous spirit and dreams of traveling America together. Paul sold his boat, and they bought a motor home and set off on a road trip to Canada, where Paul was able to revisit his childhood home in Oakville.

Only a month after they returned, Paul suffered a devastating stroke that left him severely paralyzed and changed both of their lives.

Through the extraordinarily difficult four years that followed, Denise remained steadfastly beside him, bringing love, strength, warmth and joy through circumstances neither could have imagined. Paul loved Denise deeply, and the life they shared became one of the most important chapters of his life. Denise's church community in Charleston became Paul's church family as well and brought him great comfort during his final years.

After four long and difficult years, Paul's struggle is finally over.

Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Denise; his children, Alex and Alice; his grandchildren, Anashe, Talya and Beti; and his sister Serena, all of the United Kingdom; and his sister Marcia of Illinois.

Fair winds and following seas, Paul.

May the waters be calm and the wind always at your back.

The memorial service be held on Friday August 21, 2026 @11am at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.