Jane Haygood Gaines Mitchell, age 92, of Orlando, Florida, died on August 29, 2025.
Jane was born in Thomasville, Georgia on January 17, 1933, daughter of Maude Edwina Miller and Rev. John Pendleton Gaines. With a radiant smile and heart, Jane fought in big and small ways, often unnoticed but always effective, for the hungry, the homeless, and the forgotten, while sustaining her four children and husband with unshakeable love. The daughter of a Methodist minister, Jane was shaped by the kinship and resiliency of small towns across Florida during the Great Depression and World War II.
Jane graduated as valedictorian in 1951 from Bushnell High School in Bushnell, Florida. At the University of Florida, she served as president of her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, breaking ground on a new sorority house. Upon graduating from UF in 1955 with a B.A. in Education, Jane taught elementary school in Central Florida. In 1958 she wed William “Bill” Glenn Mitchell, a young attorney, at Knowles Chapel in Winter Park, Florida. She raised her four children in Orlando, where Bill practiced law with Giles, Hedrick, and Robinson PA.
Jane was integral to the success of many civic initiatives, including the Orlando Day Nursery and Childcare, Habitat for Humanity Orlando, and a church homeless shelter, which was the genesis of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. In the early 80’s, Rev. Jimmy Jones at First United Methodist Church of Orlando (FUMCO) asked Jane and others to aid the homeless who sought shelter in downtown Orlando. Securing food donations, Jane created a kitchen operation at FUMCO that fed dinner and breakfast daily to 80 homeless guests.
The effort won Florida Bar Association and Walt Disney World awards and evolved into the nationally recognized shelters of the Coalition. In 1986, on the founding committee of what is now Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando and Osceola County, Jane was a key member of the family selection team for the first habitat homes built in Orlando, enlisting her husband Bill to provide pro bono legal work for the nascent organization. Jane volunteered tirelessly in Orange County public schools and worked with the Junior League of Orlando to develop student programs.
As a faithful member of FUMCO, Jane taught Sunday school classes for twenty years. Jane’s superpower was making people feel special and loved. In later years, she enjoyed the fellowship of the Rosalind Club of Orlando. Though shy by nature, Jane always found her voice when others needed an advocate. She fought with Bill for civil rights and achieved wins, at first glance small yet critical, in their community. Her vote was as sacred to her as her country; she voted in every election until her last year, always supporting the Democratic Party.
Jane loved music, literature, and film, and cherished children. Gifted with a beautiful voice, she was part of a quartet in the early 50’s. She loved to laugh and share stories with family, and never met a story she couldn’t make better. She would move heaven and earth for her children, and stood proudly alongside her husband for over 40 years. Jane is predeceased by her husband, William Glenn Mitchell; brother, John Pendleton Gaines, Jr.; sister, Anne Gaines Rush; brother-in-law James Knox Rush; and her great-nephew William Tyler Rush.
She is survived by her son, William Glenn Mitchell, Jr., Orlando, FLA; daughter, Melissa (John) L’Abate, Dunwoody, GA; daughter Mary Ann Mitchell, Winter Park, FLA; son, Charles (Deborah) Mitchell, Maitland, FLA; grandsons, Justin Mitchell, William Mitchell, and Ian L’Abate; sister-in-law, Stella Davis Gaines, Orlando, FLA; and a large extended family. A memorial service will be held for Jane Gaines Mitchell on Saturday, September 27th at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, 142 East Jackson Street, Orlando, Florida, 32801. Cremation will take place in accordance with Jane’s wishes, with arrangements handled by DeGusipe Funeral Home and Crematory, Maitland, Florida.