Johnny Carroll Mitchell II

The Journey

Johnny Carroll Mitchell II, “Johnny Man,” was born on February 25th, 1977, in San Leandro, CA, a subset of Oakland. He was born to parents Johnny Mitchell Sr. and Darlene Phillips and raised in the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. Coming from a line of pastors, teachers, and evangelists, Johnny spent a significant amount of time immersed in religion. It was through these experiences that he began his relationship with God.

He received his early education in the Berkeley School system and attended Skyline, Oakland Tech and Berkeley High School, where he played high school football until opting to obtain his GED.  However, this had no correlation to his ability to succeed as a student.  While in school, good grades came easy to him; he had a zest for learning new things.  He also enjoyed boxing and working with his hands. As he transitioned into young adulthood, Johnny decided to focus on various pursuits such as producing music while also dating Ranita Woods. She gave birth to Johnny’s first-born child, a beautiful baby girl named DeJanae Mitchell, in 1995. The following year, they welcomed their precious son, Johnny Mitchell III. 

In search of new pursuits, Johnny left California and traveled to Iowa, Nebraska, eventually landing in Youngstown, Ohio. After a series of unplanned “extended vacations,” Johnny would rebound, refocus, and pursue barbering.  He obtained his Barber’s license in 2009 while taking college courses at Youngstown State University toward a business degree.  During that same year, he would reunite and relocate to Cumming, GA, to be closer to his high school girlfriend, Kanya Terry, and start a relationship with her son Jelani Glass.

Johnny married Kanya on September 5th, 2010, on Lake Lanier's pier in Buford, GA.  He received a new nickname coined by her granddad and referenced by her family, “Lucky Johnny.” From this union, two beautiful daughters were born, Kameelah Mitchell in 2012 and Kalia Mitchell in 2015.

At the time of relocation, Johnny had earned enough college credits for a junior classification. Initially, he transferred the credits to attend an online college, but that didn’t suit him; Johnny enjoyed the intellectual debates and collaborations of the classroom. For this reason, he applied and was accepted to Georgia State University, despite them transferring fewer credits and classifying him as a freshman.  A very determined Johnny went to school all year, including summer. He often took more than the minimum full-time credit hours to complete his program in two years while working at Bed Bath and Beyond alongside his sister-in-law, Meghan Hood. In 2013, Johnny earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.  As he held his diploma in one hand and newborn baby in the other, Johnny would state “I did that!” to which his then wife replied, “Yes we did.”

Johnny maintained employment after graduation and was soon promoted to Assistant Manager of their Alpharetta, GA, location. This role suited him not only because he was very personable but also because Johnny had a strong work ethic. In 2017, Johnny and Kanya would divorce amicably. They both walked in and out of the courtroom together, still able to enjoy one another’s company.  Despite decoupling, their friendship and familial bond remained.

In 2021, Johnny began dating Jessica Loewe, and it was during this year he also began to exhibit adverse signs of an illness that initially appeared to be a stroke.  In 2022 Jessica gave birth to his youngest son, Julian Mitchell, and Johnny found himself in the wake of what would be a life-altering illness.  After a long year of increasingly worsening symptoms and frequent hospital visits, he was ultimately diagnosed with Neuro-Bechet’s disease, a disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) that controls everything the body does.  Due to the progression of the disease, Johnny’s ability to swallow was compromised; on Monday, August 19th, 2024, at age 47, God ended Johnny’s suffering and called him home.

As we mourn the loss of an extraordinary life, we also celebrate Johnny's vibrant existence, enduring spirit, and the noteworthy impression he left on those around him especially his children whom he loved tremendously.  Johnny Mitchell II is loved and revered by many and will be deeply missed, but his laughter and spirit will forever echo in our hearts. The original Oakland Raiders Nation has also lost one of its biggest fans, as Johnny remained a zealous supporter throughout his lifetime, despite them almost always, almost winning.

Johnny is survived by: Ex-Wife Kanya Terry (Cumming, GA), Children: DeJanae Mitchell, Johnny Mitchell III (Huntsville, GA), Stepson Jelani Glass (Boston, MA), Kameelah Mitchell , Kalia Mitchell (Cumming, GA) and Julian Mitchell (Fuquay-Varina, NC), Granddaughter: Phoenix Jones (Huntsville, AL), Mother: Darlene Phillips (Atlanta, GA), Grandmother: Dolly Kennedy-Mitchell (Oakdale, LA), Siblings: Elisha Mitchell (Oakdale, LA), Wanda Mitchell (Oakland, CA) and Briana Phillips (Atlanta, GA), Uncle Glen and Aunt Eugenia Ford (Lincoln, Nebraska), “Brothers from another Mother” , Damien Brown and Miles Tarver (Oakland, CA), a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws who loved him dearly. He is predeceased by his father, Johnny C. Mitchell Sr. (2009), and Grandfather, Henry Rufus Mitchell (1978).

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