Mitchell Dee Lehman

Mitchell Dee Lehman, age 83, of Elkhart, Indiana, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday,April 11, 2026. Mitch was born on April 23, 1942, to Samuel and Edith Lehman in Elkhart,Indiana. He married the love of his life, Deborah Mahlum, on December 2, 1972, at First Baptist Church in Elkhart.

Mitch graduated from Elkhart High School and honorably served his country in the United States Air Force from November 1963 to November 1967. He enlisted with his high school friend Jon Zellmer under the buddy plan. After basic training at Lackland AFB and intensive 24-week technical training on AGM Hound Dog missiles at Chanute AFB, he was assigned to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. He advanced rapidly to the combined systems crew—one of the youngest technicians ever selected—where he became one of only two personnel qualified to perform critical work on the J-2 jet engine. He designed innovative tooling and improvements later adopted across Strategic Air Command units, played a key role in three Operational Readiness Inspections that earned the highest “highly qualified” ratings, and in February 1965 volunteered for a secret mission to Anderson AFB, Guam, in support of early Operation Arc Light. There he served as a Hound Dog Missile crew chief on the flight line while also working in the command post with Top Secret clearance. He was honorably discharged on November 9, 1967.

He was part owner and operator of Devan Corporation in Elkhart. Mitch and his wife were long-standing members of First Baptist Church of Elkhart. He later worked at Design Time in Elkhart and at Kenco Plastic in LaPorte, Indiana. He enjoyed boating but, most of all, loved spending time with his family and friends.

Mitch is survived by his wife of over 53 years, Deborah; their sons, Tim (Ann) Lehman and Chad Lehman, all of Elkhart; grandchildren Savanah, Madison, Tucker, Joshua, Jenna, and Grant; and great-grandchildren Miles and Jordy. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 4pm Sunday April 26, 2026 and 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026, at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone Blvd., Elkhart, IN 46514, where funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Pastor John Blodgett will officiate. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. at Fort Custer National Cemetery, 15501 West Dickman Road, Augusta, MI 49012, with full military honors. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306 (www.t2t.org). Online condolences may be made to Mitch’s family at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com.