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Obituary for Reverend Sadie Stridiron Mitchell
A memorial service in 2021, with the inurnment of her ashes in columbarium within the church’s sanctuary, is pending the full opening of Sadie’s church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please mail donations to The Jesse F. Anderson, Sr. Scholarship Fund, The AECST, 6361 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19151. Checks may be made payable to: AECST, with “JFA Scholarship in memory of Pastor Sadie” written in the memo portion.
THE REVEREND SADIE S. MITCHELL, EdD. EDUCATOR AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST Life story On January 4, 1921, Sadie Alberta Stridiron was born to Joseph Alphonso Stridiron and Lucinda Clifton Stridiron. She was the second child of five. In her early years, she and the family resided in South Philadelphia. They attended The Episcopal Church of the Crucifixion in South Philly. The family moved to West Philadelphia when Sadie was a teenager. They became members of The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (AECST), then known as the Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (or simply St. Thomas), and located within walking distance of their new home. Sadie and her siblings attended Overbrook High School. After graduation, she attended Temple University, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. In later years she obtained her Master’s in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and her Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. As an undergraduate at Temple University, in 1939, Sadie was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Xi Sigma Citywide Chapter. As a devoted soror in this illustrious sisterhood, in the year 2020, her 81 st Deltaversary was commemorated. Sadie had remained an active member of the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter until 2017 when, due to failing health, she was unable to participate further in the sorority’s activities. She has remained a “financial” soror through the 2020-21 sorority year.
In 1946, Sadie married Charles T. Mitchell, Jr., a City of Philadelphia employee with the Department of Recreation, a dedicated member of Holy Trinity Baptist Church (South Philly), a lover of jazz and gospel music, and a very active member and leader of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, O.V. Catto Lodge, formerly located in South Philly. From their union, three children were born – Sadye (West Chester, PA), Charlene (Philadelphia) and Charles III (N. Potomac, MD). In the early years of their marriage, the family resided in South Philly before moving to West Philly in 1952.
Sadie made great efforts to engage her young children in activities with groups such as Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and The Sweet Kittens (a social group of the daughters of friends that was formed by Sadie’s dear friend, the late Pearl Johnson). She enrolled the girls in piano lessons at the original Settlement Music School on Queen Street in South Philadelphia. There were excursions to live theater, museums and much more. She gave the children the experience of overnight camps, first at Camp Oak Hill in Nottingham. PA, then Camp Mohawk in the Catskills, co-owned by her dear late friends, Jean and Adolphus Lewis, Sr. and the late Sam and Edna Watts, all of Philadelphia. Sadie learned how to drive when her daughters were very young. This was not common for women in the 1950s. Her brother, Clifton, a Tuskegee Airman mechanic during World War II, repaired an old Chevy jalopy (vintage 1948, with only the remnants of a back seat), then gave it to her. She drove that car for several years until she was able to purchase a used 1958 Rambler that handled like a truck. But it got her around town – avoiding the need to take PTC, and enabling her to transport her three children when the distance was too far for them to walk. Sadie was a very active member of St. Thomas Church, even before becoming a priest. A few of the guilds in which she participated were the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), the Matrons’ Guild, the Jesse F. Anderson, Sr. Scholarship Fund Committee, the Music Committee, and the St. Thomas Historical Society. She and close friends Mary Lu Sullivan and Louella Allen co-founded one of St. Thomas’ guilds for women of the parish – The Sisterhood Guild. Until her health began to fail, she was also involved in Episcopal diocesan affairs such as the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE - a national organization), and in affairs of the community-at- large. Sadie was a former board member of the Episcopal Community Services (ECS) and The Lincoln Day Nursery. With her community work and education background, she founded The Black Women in Education Association (BWEA). Throughout her years as an educator, Sadie not only taught in the classroom, she also held the titles of, and worked as a Science Collaborator, Assistant to the District Superintendent, and Elementary School Principal. For one year, beginning in 1963, she was an Exchange Teacher, teaching English in Guayama, Puerto Rico, taking with her, Charles III at age 4, while her girls continued their high school education in Philadelphia. Sadie retired as the principal of the Joseph C. Ferguson Elementary School located in North Philadelphia. After retirement from the School District of Philadelphia, Sadie earned a divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia campus. She was ordained to the Episcopal diaconate and subsequently to the priesthood. Sadie served at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lower Merion, PA, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located in the Frankford section of Philadelphia and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Germantown Philadelphia. In 1991, when The Rev. Fr. Jesse F. Anderson, Jr. was installed as the 16 th rector of the AECST, Sadie returned as the Associate Priest of the parish. The congregation referred to her as Pastor Sadie. While serving at St. Thomas, she carried out her ministry in several ways. She guided the Sunday School activities for the parish youth. She visited house-bound parishioners and parishioners recuperating from illnesses at home, as well as the parishioners in area hospitals and living in nursing homes. It is from St. Thomas that Pastor Sadie celebrated her final retirement. When she decided to move into a retirement community, Sadie had no intentions of leading a sedentary life. She joined its Bridge club, and continued to get together with her old Bridge playing buddies at designated locations within Philadelphia and in her retirement community. Sadie joined the choir and attended the “college” seminars that were offered. She made sure that she arrived at the dining room well before opening time for each meal so that she could reserve the largest table for her and “her posse.” They enjoyed their time together. Sadie’s favorite music genre was classical. In the summer months, she and her husband would take the family to the Robin Hood Dell in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia to enjoy the Philadelphia Orchestra performances conducted by Eugene Ormandy. For many years, Sadie was a subscribing patron of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was thrilled to learn that her retirement community transported groups of resident subscribers to the Academy of Music for performances. Once she stopped driving her car, giving it to her granddaughter, her attendance at the Academy was not affected. As an avid Contract Bridge player, Sadie travelled to various resort areas for many years to participate in Bridge tournaments, winning trophies and other awards. She played tennis for exercise and fun. Another source of fun and excitement for Sadie was belonging to her Garden Club whose members were life-long friends. Every year, the club exhibited their many entries in the Philadelphia Flower Show. And, every year, at least one entry won 1 st Place in its category. Sadie also loved to travel. She booked many trips to foreign countries, enjoying several educational tours. She also enjoyed taking cruises. Some of her more memorable cruises were the one in the Mediterranean Sea and another where she viewed the Alaskan glaciers – before the effects of global warming.
On December 16, 2020, at the age of 99, Sadie was called home to be with her Lord and Savior. She had suffered several falls, with the last fall resulting in hip replacement surgery. She never fully recovered from the lasting effects of that trauma. Sadie leaves to cherish her memory, daughters Sadye “Sarah” Archer, Charlene M. Wiltshire and Charles “Bud” Mitchell, III (Allyson), seven grandchildren – Rick, Charles IV “CT,” John “Johnny,” Alexsandra “Alex,” Connor, Chase and Madelyn, four great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, a host of cousins and many friends and mentees. Preceding her in death, were Sadie’s husband, Charles T. Mitchell, Jr., brothers, Joseph Stridiron, Clifton Stridiron and James Stridiron, and her baby sister, Lucinda Harper who passed away earlier this year at the age of 90.
