Mr. Joe Kitchens, Sr., age 87, of Tennille passed away on Thursday, December 23, 2021, at the Georgia War Veterans Home following an extended illness. A funeral service to celebrate his life will be held on Monday, December 27th at 11:00 A.M. in the Tennille Christian Church with burial in Zeta Cemetery. Reverend Tripp Hodges and Reverend Barry Clanton will officiate. Pallbearers will be William Bridges, Christian Gutierrez, Richard Jackson, Marshall Lovett, Beryl McNeely, Julian Mullis, Gene Sheppard, and Chad York. Members of the Joyful Senior Band will sit as an Honorary Group. The family will receive friends on Sunday, December 26th from 2:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. at the May and Smith Funeral Home in Sandersville.
Mr. Kitchens was born in Glascock County and reared in Washington County, the son of the late Jim Edward Kitchens and the late Estelle Brown Kitchens. He graduated from the Tennille High School, where he excelled in sports. Following graduation, Joe proudly served his country as a member of the United States Navy on the USS Yorktown. After his service, Mr. Kitchens began his working career in textiles with J.P. Stevens and Washington Manufacturing before a thirty-plus year career in the kaolin industry with ECCI as a Machine Operator. Joe was a longtime and active member of the Tennille Christian Church, where he served as Church Song Leader for over 50 years. He also held numerous church leadership roles throughout his life. Mr. Kitchens possessed a lifelong love of music and was a valued member of the Joyful Senior Band. Joe loved to hunt and had a passion for fishing. He was an avid fan of the Washington County Golden Hawks, the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Atlanta Braves. Mr. Kitchens is preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn Brown Kitchens.
Survivors include his sons, Joe Kitchens, Jr. and his wife Penny of Sandersville, Stacy Kitchens and his wife Jackie of Tennille, and Jim Kitchens and his wife Crystal of Sandersville; grandchildren, Amy K. York and her husband Chad, Erica K. Mullis and her husband Julian, Morgan Kitchens, Haley Kitchens, and Lindsey Kitchens; great-grandchildren, Zooey York, Bailey Tingle, Madison Steiner, and Waylon Carter Kitchens; and his longtime companion, Geraldine Hodges of Davisboro.
Donations may be made to the Tennille Christian Church, P.O. Box 275, Tennille, Georgia 31089.
Online condolences may be expressed at mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com.
May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.