It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Toni, who peacefully transitioned on June 13, 2025.
Born Toni Lorene Williams, and later becoming Toni Lorene Mitchell, she was born on December 23, 1957 in Waukegan, Illinois, at St. Therese Hospital. She was 67 years old at the time of her passing in Clinton, Maryland.
In her earliest years, Toni spent much of her time in Waukegan with her grandparents, Vivian Jones Williams and Theodore Williams, where her aunts and uncles treated her like a cherished little sister. She was especially close to her grandparents, often being the cousin who spent the most time with them, time which was cherished by all.
Around the age of seven or eight, Toni moved with her mother, Betty, to the Washington, DC area, where her mother later married James Arthur Mitchell, who lovingly adopted Toni. They made their home in Prince George’s County, Maryland where Toni grew up, attending Thomas Johnson Jr. High School before graduating from DuVal Sr. High School. Toni was a good student throughout and after high school, she chose to attend college at Marquette University in Wisconsin, just a car ride away from her beloved grandparents in Waukegan—a choice that reflected her deep connection to them. During college, she returned to Waukegan in the summers, working at Ft. Sheridan Army Base while holding a position during college breaks. She graduated in 1980 with a degree in Speech Pathology.
Toni returned to the DC area after college, later purchasing a home and continuing to build a life filled with warmth, good food, and family. She had a stellar career, and retired as a training administrator at USAID for over 20 years. Toni was a beloved supervisor who required excellence. She supported her colleagues and friends, often taking on the role of professional resume polisher; never hesitating to help others during their job searches. Toni organized toy drives for children during the holidays and always doted on the children in the family, treating each with the same love and attention she showed to everyone she met. She quietly helped many family members and friends with financial and moral support.
Toni loved to cook and was considered one of the best cooks among us, keeping family recipes alive with her personal flair and particularity. She had a knack for cooking which was cultivated early in her life by both grandmothers, her mother and her Aunt Iris. It seemed as if she had attended culinary school—perhaps she did, attending “television university,” as she loved watching cooking shows and trying new recipes. She loved spending time with her cats, each of whom held a special place in her heart: Bridget Sue, Cherchez La Femme, Pierre Pierpont, Tina and Molly, to name a few. She was faithful in attending family events and Zoom calls, which were started during the covid pandemic, and made a point to help gather the family for events and celebrations. Many times, she prepared most of the meals.
Toni lived by the values of sometimes brutal honesty and truth, letting people be who they are, doing things on her own terms. She made people feel loved, seen, valued, and happy. Children always gravitated toward her, often finding themselves nestled in her lap. Her infectious laugh was a gift to everyone around her.
Her love of gaming is legendary. From slots to Spades, to Pitty Pat, to Bid Whist to Scrabble to games at family gatherings, she was highly competitive and engaged and seldom lost at any of them. She engaged happily in family gathering silliness and helped to craft the games we played. She always planned our menus, knowing she did it best, giving each of us our meal assignments. She liked jigsaw puzzles, relaxing on the family boat and hosting and planning regular gatherings for her employees at USAID. She will be remembered as someone you could laugh with and be your whole self with, someone who was not judgmental and who created space for others to feel safe, seen, and loved.
Toni was baptized in 1970 at the Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Lanham. She was deeply spiritual and had a personal relationship with God that guided her faith, quiet strength and kindness throughout her life. She had a strong and feisty side to her personality, and was very vocal in calling out injustice, either to her or others. She made no bones about her strong beliefs; even in her last moments, letting it be known to all that she was ready to “go Home to be with God.”
She is survived by her mother and father, Betty Currie (Robert – deceased) and James A. Mitchell (Brenda Girton-Mitchell); her Aunt Esther Williams Yarborough (Davey), Aunt Gladys Williams (Theodore Williams, Jr., deceased), Uncle Ivy Dennis Johnson (Eloise), Goddaughter Melani Finney Dawodu (Deion), Godson De’jon Howell and a host of sister-cousins, cousins, family and friends who loved her deeply and will continue to carry her legacy.
Family will receive friends for visitation on Friday, July 25, 2025 from 10:00am to 11:00am at People’s Congregation United Church of Christ, 4704 13th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20011 with a Funeral Service beginning at 11am. Interment will be private.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.
