MONTEVIDEO — A crowd of around 150 people came to the “Flinn’s family funeral,” a term bartender Jamie Moore used to describe the Tuesday night vigil as she gave a eulogy for a man with whom she worked.
Mitch Twite, 69, of Montevideo, formerly of Dawson , was identified by Inn Like Flinn's bar as the man whose body was found near the post office in downtown Montevideo, just across the street from where he worked as a bartender.
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Law enforcement has not officially identified the man, whose body was found with a stab wound around 6:30 a.m. Monday. Police said in a news release Monday there is no known threat to the public, and as of Wednesday afternoon had not provided any more information on the matter.
In her eulogy to Twite, Moore said, “his form of charm was telling you you’re the dumbest.” The crowd chuckled, “but he considered everyone family.”
After a shift ended, he was an easy man to find as he was often sitting at the corner of the bar in front of the First Street door with a shot of Jagermeister and a Busch Light.
“It’ll never be the same here without you,” Moore said.
She told the crowd to raise their glasses in a toast to Mitch before she said “see ya Tuesday,” a phrase Mitch was known for telling others whenever they would leave the bar.
“See ya Tuesday,” the crowd echoed before turning up their drink glasses. During the moment of silence for Twite, the lights went out. Those who did not have candles opted to use the flashlights on their phones.
Some vigil attendees recalled Twite as a man known for dishing out one-liners, or having a comeback to anyone willing to verbally joust with him.
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He would talk to anyone who came in the bar. Given enough time, he was someone people confided in.
Sarcastic comments were Mitch’s method of connecting with people.
Carly Wilson, of Montevideo, a regular patron at Inn Like Flinn’s, said you could tell if what you said got to him. She explained Mitch would simply grin and his chest would puff up a little bit as he attempted to hide a faint smile that would eventually worm its way across his lips.
Twite was known as a "Wheel of Fortune" whiz, able to solve entire puzzles displayed on the TV game show with only two or three letters — a talent that annoyed or amazed others. He also was known to complete newspaper crossword puzzles in ink.
Cassie McKinley, also a bartender at Inn Like Flinn’s, said that Mitch didn’t own a car and would walk to work from his apartment in town.
As a result, she would often give him rides back home after a shift, or take him to buy groceries.
Stacy Ramberg, 39, of Montevideo, originally from Dawson , explained that the bar was her favorite place to go. She and Twite immediately bonded over the fact they were both from Dawson.
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As it turned out, when the two kept talking, they found out Twite grew up as a neighbor to Ramberg's father.
“He told so many stories about my dad and my grandma,” Ramberg said, “He even graduated in the same class with my dad.”
Ramberg said for her, losing Twite was much like losing a family member. She said sometimes coming to the bar wasn’t about having a night out but finding solace in talking to Twite.
“Everytime I needed somewhere to go, I could always come here,” she said.
Dylan Donahue, 31, of Montevideo, was another regular who was known by staff and other patrons as a sort of son to Twite. As Donahue put it, he pretty much saw Twite from his 21st birthday onward.
Donahue would take to calling him "dad." It started as a joke, but later became an affectionate shorthand.
The two became close friends. Donahue said he was often the first person Twite would call whenever he needed something. “He did say he loved me a couple of times over the years,” Donahue said.
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“Mitch was the man that made this bar,” Donahue said. He said he was devastated by the news Monday.
However, Tuesday night made for a better day simply because the bar was packed, busier than almost any other time it’s been open, according to Moore, all there to remember Mitch Twite, a man who had been their favorite bartender for 30 years.
Twite is survived by two sisters and a daughter.
“He was a local treasure who is now a local legend,” Wilson said.
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