Loren "Hack" R. Mitchell, 91, of Olney, passed away on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at Brookstone Estates in Olney, IL. He was born on May 4, 1925 in Richland Co., IL, the son of George W. and Rose Pearl (Spiker) Mitchell. He married Anna Margaret (Stoltz) on October 18, 1946. She preceded him in death on July 10, 2016.

Hack was born and raised in Dundas, Illinois. As a young boy, he received his nickname "Hack" because he threw a baseball like major leaguer Hack Wilson. He graduated from Olney High School in 1942. Hack was a decorated World War II Army Veteran for which he received a Purple Heart. In 2015, he was awarded the Legion of Merit from the government of France. Upon his return from WWII, Hack married Margaret and they settled in Dundas and operated a grocery store.

In the 1950's, he was hired by Sears Roebuck & Co. to open the first catalog sales store in Olney, IL. In the 1960's, he moved his family and opened the first catalog store in Defiance, OH. In 1969, he was promoted by Sears as a merchant's consultant opening and supervising stores throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. In 1976, Hack and Margaret retired and settled into their home on East Fork Lake in Olney. He and his family enjoyed many years of swimming, boating, and fishing on this lake. Hack was a member of the Dundas Ruritan and had the recipe for the Dundas chowder memorized. Hack and Margaret moved to Brookstone Estates in 2012. Hack always had a love of sports and followed the Olney Tigers high school teams and loved his World Champion Chicago Cubs. He and Margaret were proud members of the St. Paul United Methodist Church.

Hack's family would like to thank Dr. Luis Devenecia for his compassionate care. They would also like to thank the staff at Brookstone Estates and will always remember the love and attention they gave to Hack and Margaret in their final years of their nearly 70 years of marriage.

Hack is survived by his son, Loren R. Mitchell, Jr. and wife Margaret Mitchell of Canfield, OH; grandson, Jason Mitchell and wife Kimberly Lu of Bellevue, WA; granddaughter, Cara Petkosh and husband Gordon Petkosh of Olmsted Falls, OH; great granddaughter, Emma Petkosh and great grandsons, Hiro Mitchell-Lu and Yamato Mitchell-Lu; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Margaret, and his sister, Bernadine Stewart.

Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home, Olney - March 30, 2017