James Mitchell "Mitch" Roberts

James Mitchell Roberts #88 BPD (Mitch) was born in Hattiesburg, MS, on October 31, 1962, the first child of the Very Rev. James “Bo” Roberts and Mrs. Pamela M. Roberts. His early years passed in Pennsylvania while his father attended seminary at Philadelphia Divinity School beginning in 1963. In 1966, his father was assigned a mission church in Olive Branch, MS, where the family lived until 1969. It was during these years that Mitch first found his enthusiasm for fishing, taking advantage of the lake behind his family’s house.

Mitch’s family moved to the gulf coast in 1969 when his father was called to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on the beach in Gulfport, only four months before Hurricane Camille made landfall. They survived the hurricane in the attic of the rectory, which was just a few hundred feet from the beach and was partially destroyed by the storm. 

Mitch spent the rest of his youth in Gulfport, growing up with his two younger sisters, Ellen and Beth, and his best friend, James Bullock (Jimmy). During these years, he pursued the hobbies and interests that he kept for the rest of his life, including building and racing cars, listening to rock ‘n roll music, attending Camp Bratton-Green, and fishing the waters of the Mississippi Sound and Back Bay. Mitch attended college in Hattiesburg and New Orleans, and after five years of study he joined the U.S. Air Force.

Mitch was married to Tonya Bullard in 1986, and the first of his two sons, Elliot “Beau” Roberts, was born in Gulfport in February of 1988. Two years later, the Air Force assigned Mitch to Lajes Field on the island of Terceira, Azores, where his family lived from 1990 to 1992, and where his second son, Paul Stanton Roberts, was born.

In 1992, Mitch and his family moved back to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In the same year, he finished his military duties at Keesler Air Force base, and joined the Biloxi Police Department, where he served until his retirement in 2013.

Mitch was recognized for exceptional service and bravery multiple times throughout his long career with the PD. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Mitch proved an invaluable guide for rescue and recovery efforts, as his many years living in Biloxi enabled him to effectively navigate the area even after many landmarks and signs were destroyed. Mitch was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal for his actions during Hurricane Issac in August 2012, when he and Sgt. Ronnie Lessner tethered themselves to a tree and went into the water to rescue a family from a boat that was trapped in the storm. Mayor A.J. Holloway called this award a token of the community’s appreciation for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Despite the demands of his work, Mitch still had energy for raising his children and for pursuing his interests when time allowed. He coached his boys’ football teams for many years. He made cast nets for his children and nephews entirely by hand and taught them how to use them. He learned to play bass guitar in his late forties, and he performed with his band at many venues around town until his first stroke made it impossible to continue playing. He volunteered at Camp Bratton-Green almost every year of his life. Mitch never lost his passion for racing, and he continued to build and tune his last race truck even after losing the ability to use his right arm.

Mitch Roberts died on February 19, 2025, from the cumulative effects of several strokes caused by an inoperably large aneurysm near his brain stem, which he had survived for ten years.

Mitch is survived by his parents the Very Rev. James “Bo” Roberts and Mrs. Pamela M. Roberts; his wife, Eleftheria Bryan Roberts; his sons Elliot “Beau” Roberts and Paul Stanton Roberts; his step-children, Vasilios “Billy” Bryan and Maria Nicole Nolan; his grandchildren, Ana Catherine Cavalaro Roberts, John Michael Augustine Roberts, and Violet Georgiana Doloris Elizabeth Roberts; his sisters, Ellen Roberts Rivera (Kevin) and Beth Roberts Moran (Jeff); his nephews and nieces, Stefanie Lochner Hay, Micah Lochner, Devon Lochner, Alexander Rivera and father Louis Rivera and Kristen Lizana; and he is also survived by many aunts and uncles, cousins, grandnephews and grandnieces, extended family, and many close friends.

Funeral services will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Gulfport on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. Family and friends may visit one hour prior. A graveside service with military honors will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Biloxi National Cemetery. 

Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of James Mitchell Roberts.