Courtland Lee Mitchell, 77, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, passed away on September 3, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of faith, family, music, and love.

 

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Courtland was the son of the late Granison Mitchell and Charolette Robinson. He grew up in the Homewood neighborhood and attended Westinghouse High School. In 1968, he joined the United States Marine Corps.

 

After his military service, Courtland returned home and worked for the City of Pittsburgh in sanitation for about 30 years, faithfully providing for his family. For more than three decades, he made Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood his home, where he became known as “Mr. Court” — the cool dad to many of his children’s friends. His house was filled with personality, conversation, laughter, and music; he was charismatic, funny, warm, and full of life, and he loved to joke, sing, and dance with the people around him.

 

He shared 47 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Clarnice, whom he affectionately called his “Sweetay” — his own pronunciation of “Sweetie” that became a name unique to the two of them. Courtland was a songwriter, and one of his best-loved pieces was the “Sweetie Song,” written for Clarnice and sung at family gatherings for years. He wrote another, “The Blessing House,” for his mother, Charolette — both were his way of putting love for the women in his life into music.

 

Courtland was a proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who took pride in watching his family grow across generations. As a father, he believed in discipline and tough love, working to raise children who were strong, responsible, and able to stand on their own.

 

But the lesson Courtland cared most about passing on was his faith. He loved the Lord deeply and spoke openly to others about Jesus Christ and the salvation offered through Him, taking special joy in seeing people come to know Christ because he’d shared the Gospel with them. That ministry began at home, where he gathered his family for Bible study, planting seeds of faith that continue to grow through generations of his family. His final church home was Clark Memorial Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend James D. Burwell.

 

Beyond music and faith, Courtland also loved chess, spending hours studying his next move and taking on anyone willing to play.

 

Courtland leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 47 years, Clarnice Mitchell; his children, Damion Moore (Kelli), Courtland Kenley, Julius Wilkerson (Nikita), Marlon Wilkerson (Shawndolyn), Latoya Austin, and Tayon Mitchell (Jessica); 15 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his siblings, Andrew Lane, Gwendolyn Poindexter, Kevin Mitchell, Brian Robinson, Toya Robinson, and Eric Lewis; and a host of extended family, church family, friends, and neighbors whose lives he touched.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Granison Mitchell and Charolette Robinson, and his brothers, Granison Mitchell Jr. and Royden Mitchell.

 

Courtland will be remembered for his warmth, humor, music, love of chess, and the joy he brought into every room — and above all, for a life spent pointing others toward Christ.

 

He loved his Sweetay. He loved his family. And he loved the Lord. That love will endure.

Friends received Thursday, September 10, 2026 3pm to 7pm, service Friday 11am at Clark Memorial Baptist Church, 1301 Glenn St, Homestead, PA 15120.