Kittery - Nita Mary (Turci) Mitchell of Kittery passed away peacefully on April 10, 2021, twelve days before her 103rd birthday.  She was born on April 22, 1918 in Portsmouth, NH, the daughter of Primo and Candida (Zavaloni) Turci.  Nita graduated from Portsmouth High School with the class of 1935 and continued her education at the Favorite Academy of Beauty Culture.  She was employed as a beautician at Juliet's Beauty Salon in Portsmouth.

Nita was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Gerald W. Mitchell; a sister Linda (Turci) Carlisle and her husband Milton; a brother John Turci and his wife Frances; daughter-in-law G. Carolyn Mitchell and sister-in-law Carol Turci.

She is survived by a son, John "Jack" Mitchell (Susan) of Brentwood, NH and a daughter, Janice (Mitchell) Cook (Dr. Thomas) of Wayne, Maine; four grandchildren: Christopher Mitchell (Nicole) of Smithtown, NY, Jennifer Cook (Jen Douglas) of Sun Valley, Idaho, Cara Mitchell (Barry Londeree) of Burlington, VT and Dr. Brian Cook (Devin) of Hallowell, Maine; six great grandchildren: Taylor and Regan Mitchell, Jacob and Oliver Londeree, Rowan and Simon Cook.  She is also survived by a brother, George Primo Turci of Brentwood, NH and many special nieces and nephews.
Nita was a homemaker while her children were young and was very involved as a school volunteer and PTA member at the Wentworth Dennett School. She was an active member of the Second Christian Congregational United Church of Christ in Kittery where she was a faithful, tireless Evergreen Festival worker.  For many years, she was proud to coordinate drivers for the Meals on Wheels Program in Kittery.

Nita and her husband enjoyed playing tennis, traveling and many years of downhill snow skiing – especially at Sugarloaf Mountain.  They were also very involved in their children's and grandchildren's lives, attending every school and athletic event they could.

AN AMAZING LIFE: Nita lived during two pandemics, prohibition, women's suffrage, Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight (1927), the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor, World Wars I and II, the entire Cold War, Brown vs the Board of Education, Roe vs Wade, the atomic bomb, the rise and fall of the Berlin wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the first moon walk, the founding of McDonalds, the assassination of JFK and the death of Martin Luther King. In her lifetime she saw the rise of the personal computer and birth of the internet, the invention of cell phones, the Maine ice storm of 1998, 9/11, black/white TV, color TV, and smart TV. She lived to see nineteen U. S. presidents, including our first African-American president, the Red Sox winning the World Series after so many years (1918…2004) and the Patriot's dynasty. Along the way, Nita had an incredible life. She will be missed by so many.

Nita's family wishes to thank the staff at Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth and Beacon Hospice for their loving and personal care of her.

There will be no visiting hours. Due to COVID-19 a family only graveside service will be held.

To leave online condolence please visit www.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com . Arrangements have been entrusted to J.S. Pelkey Funeral Home, 125 Old Post Road, Kittery, Maine, 03904.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Second Christian Congregational United Church of Christ, 33 Government Street, Kittery, Maine 03904 or the American Cancer Society, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 300, Topsham, Maine 04086