Mitchell Allen Bayes

Mitchell Allen Bayes went to be with the Lord on November 2, 2022, after a prolonged illness. Mitchell Allen and his three brothers were raised in Dayton, Ohio by parents who left Eastern Kentucky for better circumstances. As a young person, Mitchell Allen began to develop his strong work ethic by taking on several jobs. In addition to working hard at his newspaper route, Mitchell Allen began volunteering at a summer day camp for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. He spent several summers volunteering, and thus began a lifetime of serving people. Mitchell Allen Bayes went on wrestling scholarship to Wilbur Force University after high school attending for one year before transferring to Morehead State University in Kentucky, where he met his future wife, Colleen. They worked a summer job in Houston, TX, while on break from college, and during this time he experienced a dynamic salvation, met a group of dedicated Christians, and he and Colleen began their life as a married couple. They spent those early years of marriage in Houston, Irving, and then eventually settled in Huntsville, TX with their family, which by this time included four children. During those years, they gave themselves to the pursuit of building a relationship with the Lord, with their family, and with the dear believers they grew to love through fellowship and service. Mitchell Allen also worked tirelessly to support his growing family doing any job he could while earning his teaching degree in special education from Sam Houston State University. As a special education teacher, he continued his studies, eventually completing a graduate degree to work as a diagnostician. In 1993, Mitchell Allen and his brother opened the school and residential program that became Bayes Achievement Center. The program continued to grow over the next thirty years, and many lives were changed because of his work, and the labor of the dedicated team of like-minded coworkers that helped make it possible. In his final days, Mitchell Allen suffered physically, but never lost his indomitable spirit. He spoke frequently of things he wanted to do in the future, places he wanted to visit, and his family continued to be amazed by his grit and determination to continue enjoying life in spite of his infirmities. Mitchell Allen Bayes is survived by his wife Colleen, their children Daniel (Rebecca) Bayes, Cassia (Cedric) Sanders, Monica (David) Criswell, and Bethany (Titus) Chow, his grandchildren Benjamin, Isaiah, Aaron, Samuel, Nathaniel, Elora, Titus, Judah, Brody, Noah, Asher, and Micah, and his mother-in-law Rita Scaife. He is also survived by his older brothers James (Beverly) Bayes, and Harold (Bobbie) Bayes, their children, and his dear cousins. A memorial time will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 2:00 PM, at Bayes Achievement Center, 7517 Sam Houston Avenue, Huntsville, TX 77340. Memorial condolences to the family may be made at www.shmfh.com.

Mitchell Allen Bayes

October 6, 1953 - November 2, 2022