A CELEBRATION OF life for Charles Mitchell will be held on Sunday, Jan. 22 (Shutterstock).

Charles Mitchell, a long-time community leader in Garden Grove, has passed away at the age of 82.

Mitchell, who moved to Garden Grove in 1973, was active is nearly every aspect of life in the city and county, donating thousands of hours of his time to a wide variety of causes.

CHARLES MITCHELL (left) planting flowers on Main Street in downtown Garden Grove.

He served in the U.S. Army for two years and was a superintendent at Fedco Stores for 33 years, retiring in 1995.  He and his wife Dianne raised two sons.

Among his many activities were as a member of the Orange County Grand Jury, a mediator in small claims courts and family/neighbor disputes, a member of the American Legion, the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association, the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce and many other organizations.

He ran for Garden Grove City Council twice and served as chair of the Garden Grove Sanitary District five years. Since 1995 and until recently he attended city council meetings regularly to speak on community issues.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. at the American Legion Post 555 in Midway City at 14582 Beach Blvd.