Retired industry executive Roy Mitchell dies at 65

Spent years at American of Martinsville, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality

Tanya K. Merritte -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2011

Roy Mitchell

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Roy Truslow Mitchell, a longtime executive with American of Martinsville and most recently with Home Meridian International's Samuel Lawrence Hospitality division, has died at age 65.

Mitchell worked at a real estate investment trust company before joining American of Martinsville as vice president of sales and marketing. He spent 27 years with the manufacturer in a variety of roles.

He was named president of the AOM residential division in 1990 and later moved to the contract division, where he was vice president of sales and marketing for 10 years. Mitchell then worked for a year as district manager in Dallas before moving back into management. He later worked as district manager for the hospitality division in South Carolina.

Mitchell joined Samuel Lawrence Hospitality as president of in 2007 and remained there until he retired in July.

Mitchell was an Army veteran and served for two years as a platoon commander in Korea. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia. He was an active member of his church in Martinsville and was a board member for the local community college and Boys' Home in Virginia.

Survivors include his wife, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, two nephews and five nieces.

A funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Christ Episcopal Church in Martinsville. Memorial contributions can be made to Boys' Home Inc., 306 Boys' Home Road, Covington, Va. 24426 or at www.boyshomeinc.org.