Alice Ann Kitchen

Alice Ann Kitchen, 84 years old, passed away on Tuesday, September 27, 2022

after a brief battle with cancer.

Alice was born in Pickwick Dam, Tennessee on June 15, 1938 to Marion and

Jimmye Walton. She was the oldest of three children, her two brothers are Lewis

and John. Growing up in Slate Springs, Mississippi, Alice enjoyed fishing and

playing basketball and was a tomboy with a rebellious streak, even at an early

age. As a toddler, when given a banana from her grandmother and prompted

“What do you say?” Alice shoved it in her face and said “Peel it!”

Alice attended Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, where she earned

an Education degree, and went on to work as a Physical Education teacher. Her

wild streak took her and her best friend Margaret on a road trip, and they settled

in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where Alice met the love of her life, Marvin

Lee. They were married on June 26, 1965.

Within 5 years, Alice and Marv had three children, Leanne, Tim and Julie; then the

Kitchens moved to Jackson, Michigan. Alice and Marv enjoyed being back in

Michigan closer to Marv’s family. Fun times were spent at the lake, sledding on

their hill, and at the kid’s basketball, baseball and softball games. Alice gardened

and fished, coached Leanne’s softball team, and led a Brownie troop. She

coached a local middle school girls’ basketball team to win 1 st place in their

conference.

Marv’s career took the family to Oklahoma City, OK where Alice worked at the

local department store Montgomery Wards. She enjoyed meeting people and her

Southern accent and personality were endearing. She was effusive in

complimenting complete strangers --- “that’s a nice tattoo!” or “you have a sharp

haircut!” or “that nail color is neat!” As a former shoe salesperson, she was

particularly complimentary of footwear --- “those shoes sure are fancy!”

Her leisure time was consumed by her favorite board game, Rummikub, which

she could never get enough of. To Marv’s dismay, she cheated profusely at

Solitaire, and looked up the answers to crossword puzzles as she completed them.

She enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune, Days of Our Lives, and OSU basketball

games. Alice was known for giving the most amazing backscratches. She relished

the simple pleasures of life --- ice cream, naps, a smoke break with her buddies,

getting the mail, reading the paper, keeping track of the temperature, smiling and

waving at babies, and noticing license plates. She and Marv travelled extensively,

touring New Zealand, Hawaii, US National Parks, and visiting Tim in New York and

family in Mississippi. She wasn’t particularly adventurous; but loved being a

companion to those who were and enjoyed being along for the ride.

Alice was a devoted wife, sister, grandmother, and neighbor. She greeted all with

a “Hey Sweetie!” and told everyone how grateful she is for them, how proud she

was of them, and how lucky she was to be with them. She is preceded in death by

her husband Marvin, who passed in February 2022; and leaves behind three

children - Leanne (54), Tim (53), and Julie (51), and seven grandchildren: Maridy

(22), Cody (22), Nathan (20), Alex (19), Sarah (19), Ryan (17), and Timothy (15).

We will all miss Alice but know she will be “looking forward to it” when we can be

reunited and playing a marathon game of Rummikub (or “Rubi-cube” as she

would call it.)

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the

Trevor Project, www.thetrevorproject.org

The family will be holding a memorial service at Church of the Servant, 14343

North MacArthur Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73142, on Wednesday, October 5 th , at

11:00 am. Friends & family may share memories and leave kind words of comfort

at www.oklahomacremationcenters.com