Kitchen, Annette (1931-2014)

KITCHEN, SCHALLER, ARAUJO, ARJMAND, BARR, YOUNG, HOPLEY

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 1/23/2014 at 22:04:24

Annette Kitchen
August 17, 1931 - January 6, 2014

On January 6, 2014, we lost our strong, intelligent, and beautiful mother, grandmother, and friend, Annette S. Kitchen. She died at home in Johnson City, Tennessee, with her loved ones by her side.

Annette Schaller Kitchen was born on August 17, 1931, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Harry and Janet Schaller. She spent her formative years in Storm Lake before leaving home to go to school at Northwestern University. There she met Robert David Kitchen, whom she married on September 4, 1955. They raised their daughters, Georgeanne, Pam, and Sally, in Freeport, Illinois, and then moved to Johnson City after their daughters had grown.

Active in the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters, and P.E.O., as well as a long time CASA volunteer, Annette had a passion for women's rights issues from an early age. More recently, she became a founding member of The Women's Fund of East Tennessee. She enjoyed bridge and book club, and at one time, was the part owner of an independent bookstore. She taught her children to love words, language, and books.

Adventurous world travelers, Annette and Bob favored trips to landscapes unspoiled by Western civilization. Their memorable excursions included a storm-fraught, fuel-scant flight into Lukla, a town high in the Himalayas near Mount Everest, during which the passengers were asked to handle navigation; an illness in the Sahara requiring transportation on a litter dragged behind a camel; and a CIA-sponsored visit with drunken, hostile, machete-wielding hosts in northeastern India. In addition, last year, she found herself alone on a trip to Egypt after all the other travelers on her tour had canceled because of the political unrest. She enjoyed herself anyway. Against all odds, after all of her wild adventures and a final Christmas celebration in Florida, she came home to die in her own bed. Fond of saying she liked to live her life on her own terms, she did so until the end.

Annette is survived by her three daughters, Georgeanne, of Park City, Utah, Pamela, of Florence, Arizona, and Sarah Beth, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania; eight beloved grandchildren: Kimberley Araujo; Isabel and Isaac Arjmand; Walker and Savannah Barr; and Robert, Katherine, and Sara Young; as well as one hirsute, feline great grandchild, Mr. Spectacles. Other survivors include her sister and brother and their families, Carolyn and John Hopley, of Greenwich, Connecticut, and George and Marcia Schaller, of Storm Lake; and her late husband's three brothers and their families: Dick and Elaine, Jim and Pat, and Bill and Jane Kitchen, all of Michigan.

Obviously, we miss her strength of character, vibrancy, and grace. She will never be forgotten but will continue to encourage and motivate us by her example.

Anyone who would like to make a contribution in Annette's memory may do so to The Women's Fund of East Tennessee at 625 Market Street, Suite 1400, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902, or the Johnson City Public Library at 100 Millard Street, Johnson City, Tennessee. 37604.

A memorial service for Annette Kitchen is planned for a later date.

Memories and condolences may be sent to the Kitchen family via www.morrisbaker.com . Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee. 37601 is serving the Kitchen family. (423) 282-1521

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