Mitchell Dale Vandegrift passed away July 17, 2011 on Whidbey Island.

Born Jan. 25, 1955 in Tacoma, Mitch moved with his family to the state of Montana in 1960 where they eventually settled in Bozeman. He attended Bozeman schools, graduating from Bozeman High School in 1973.

In the early 1980s he relocated to the Puget Sound area. He managed restaurants for a number of years and ended his career as the warehouse manager for Accoutrements, a thriving business in Mukilteo. He settled in the Maxwelton area of Whidbey Island and reveled in the beach, fishing, and the many friends and neighbors who became his community. He never had better days than the July 4th Maxwelton Beach parades.

Mitch is survived by his son, Adam, a master sergeant with the Marines based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Adam’s wife Angelena and their two children Colton and Makinley. Adam and his family were the light of Mitch’s life.

He is survived as well by his mother, Phyllis of Chehalis; as well as brothers, Keith of Boulder, Colo.; Rick of Anchorage, Alaska, and Mick of Portland, Ore. He was preceded in death by his father Gerry, in 1999.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 24 at Visser Funeral Home, Langley.