Stephen Christopher (Chris) Mitchell  1968-2023

Stephen Christopher (Chris) Mitchell, 54, of Las Cruces, N.M. passed away on March 6, 2023 at his residence, after a lifetime spent striving to brighten the lives of all he met.

A celebration of life service will be held at Coronado Baptist Church in El Paso on Saturday, April 15, at 11 a.m.

Chris was born on Oct. 15, 1968 in El Paso to Pat and Carolyn (Winingar) Mitchell, where he lived until the family moved to Wood County in 1977.

Chris was a 1987 graduate of Mineola High School. He attended East Texas State University and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he met his bride, Selena Stair.

The newlywed couple moved to Ohio for Chris’s graduate studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Then, he stage-managed national touring companies of Broadway shows and a resident Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney, opened a show at Radio City Music Hall and worked with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, among other achievements.

When the World Trade Center twin towers were attacked in 2001, he lived in Queens, NY. It changed the course of his life, inspiring him toward a career in medicine. He completed additional studies at UTEP before graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

He was an inquisitive and gentle soul with a sharp wit, thirst for knowledge, life-long love of theatre, passion for his pets, and devotion to friends and family.

Survivors include his loving wife, Selena Stair; parents, Pat and Carolyn Mitchell of Mineola; three brothers, Patrick and wife Lauren Mitchell of El Paso, Michael and wife Donna Mitchell of Houston, and Matthew Mitchell of Mineola; sister, Lori and husband Paul Ray of Mineola; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.