Katherine ‘Katy’ Sarah Nixon Mitchell

Katy Mitchell, born Katherine Sarah Nixon, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2026, at the age of 106. She was born in San Francisco to John Stewart Nixon, of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Clotilde Cabrales, of Sinaloa, Mexico. Katy grew up in San Pablo, San Jose, and Oakland, and spoke fluent English and Spanish.

She graduated from Fremont High School in 1938 and went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, where she was among the first graduating classes of women Marines in World War II. There she met and married a fellow Marine, Ernie Smith, and gave birth to their daughter, Jeanne. The family later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, but the marriage did not last.

Katy married Bruce Mitchell in 1949 and made her home in Mill Valley, where their son, Tom, was born. After Tom’s tragic passing in 1968, Katy went back to working full-time as a designer and draftsperson of kitchens and homes. In her free time, she and her family and friends built a second home in the Gold Rush town of La Porte, California.

In 1986, Katy moved to Tiburon, where she lived independently, drove her own car, played golf, and gardened. Above all, she cherished time spent with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Katy is survived by her daughter, Jeanne; her son-in-law, Don; her grandchildren Danielle, Paul, and Natalie, and their spouses; and six great-grandchildren, Graham, Whitaker, Olivia, Teddy, Christian, and Cameron, along with other loving family in the United States and El Salvador.

The family is deeply grateful to the caregivers at AlmaVia of San Rafael and By the Bay Health, formerly Hospice by the Bay. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind.