Obituary of Vickey Lynn Mitchell

Vickey Lynn Mitchell went to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 22, 2016, while she was a patient of Cross Timbers Hospice at her home in Ardmore, Okla. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at Trinity Baptist Church of Ardmore with Reverend Terry Tolbert and Reverend Jimmy May officiating. Interment to follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Ardmore, Okla. Vickey was born on December, 13, 1951, in Holdenville, Okla., to RD Choate Jr. and Joy Dean (Johnson) Choate. She was a graduate of Ardmore High School, class of 1969. She spent the early years of her life in Holdenville and Tahlequah, Okla., before moving with her family to Ardmore when she was eleven. A talented artist, she studied art at East Central University in Ada, Okla., after graduating from Ardmore High School. Vickey and her former husband, William C. Mitchell III, have two children, Gerrad Mitchell and Katrina (Mitchell) Argo. A loving mother and wife, she selflessly devoted herself to her husband and children. When Gerrad was diagnosed with Leukemia at age six, doctors gave him little chance of surviving. Vickey did not give up hope. She dedicated all of her time and energy to finding life-saving treatment. Through countless hours of research, she discovered doctors in Seattle, Washington, who were doing innovative work on the disease. After numerous trips to Seattle, and countless hours praying at his bedside, she finally saw Gerrad cured of the devastating disease. Vickey suffered from debilitating headaches for years before being diagnosed with an arterial-venous malformation (AVM). Despite the pain caused by the tangled mass of veins and arteries at the base of her brain, she continued to care for husband and children. She expressed her talent as an artist through a cake decorating business, making and decorating delicious, beautiful cakes for numerous special occasions. She also worked long hours with her sister, Karen, as co-owners and operators of the Two Sisters Café at the cattle sale barn in Overbrook, Okla. Eventually, the AVM developed an aneurysm which burst, leading to serious bleeding of the brain. She was rendered unconscious by the resulting pressure and doctors in Ardmore proclaimed her brain-dead. Praying for a miracle, her parents sought a second opinion. Some simple tests revealed that Vickey was still alive. She was subsequently transferred to an Oklahoma City hospital, where God had miraculously placed a doctor who specialized in the type of AVM that led to Vickey’s aneurysm. She received life-saving surgery, but remained in a coma for several months. After waking from the coma, Vickey lived for more than 20 years with impaired short-term memory and numerous physical limitations. Nevertheless, she enjoyed playing dominoes and continued to be a witness for Christ to everyone she met. She was cared for by her sister, Karen and her mother, Joy Choate. Friends and family who knew her best said she loved everyone she met and was quick to say so. Vickey will long be remembered by all who knew her as a caring and compassionate woman. She was preceded in death by her father, RD Choate, Jr., and her son, Gerrad Mitchell. Vickey is survived by her mother, Joy Choate, of Ardmore, daughter, Katrina Argo and husband Ernest Argo, of Ratliff City, Okla., her daughter-in-law, Christa Belle Mitchell, sister, Karen Choate, brother Rick Choate and wife Linda, brother, Tony Choate and wife Stephanie, all of Ardmore. Grandchildren, Seth, Keaton, and Kathleen Argo, and great-grandson, Kaiden Argo. Serving as pallbearers are Seth and Keeton Argo, Robert Choate, Justin Ayres, David Lowden, and Chuck Denney. Visitation will be held on Monday evening, 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., October 24, 2016, at Griffin-Hillcrest Funeral Home of Ardmore.