Delores Grace Kitchens

Delores Grace Stough Kitchens, age 96, of Temple, Texas, passed into the loving arms of her Savior Jesus Christ on June 17, 2023. She was born in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama on February 18, 1927. She was the third child born to Talmage Lewis Stough and Mary Alma Samantha Bunn Stough. Delores volunteered as a Nurse’s Aide early in the war effort, and in March 1944 was recognized by the U.S. Citizens Service Corps of Civilian Defense for her volunteer work during World War II. In 1943, she met Travis Eugene Kitchens at a high school football game. He was in the Army Air Corps and stationed in Birmingham, Alabama. They were married the following year on September 23, 1944 in San Marcos, Texas. He died November 14, 1985 in Moody, Texas. Delores was involved in the Officers Wives Club, the Baptist Church and Sunday School. She taught every age group at one time or the other. She was superintendent of several Bible Schools, and was the Director of Beginners at First Baptist Church, Waco and also for the Waco Baptist Association. She started the Girls Auxiliary group at Calvary Baptist Church when the family was stationed in Harlingen, Texas. She also worked with Boy Scouts and did a lot of different volunteer work. After her husband died, Delores took a Hospice course in Waco, and did volunteer work with them. When Temple started a hospice program, she was appointed Director of Volunteers. She wrote a training course for hospice volunteers, conducted training classes for new volunteers. She traveled all over central Texas visiting hospice patients, and wrote a monthly newsletter for Hospice. Preceding her in death are her husband Lt. Col. Travis E. Kitchens, parents Talmage and Alma Stough, two sisters Lottie Rehor and Yvonne Johnson, two brothers Gene Stough and Eddie Stough, her daughter Phyllis Annette Kitchens Persky, her granddaughter Sarah Kate Kitchens, and her great-granddaughter Faith Emmaline Fagan. Delores is survived and mourned by two daughters Alice Sue Gutierrez (David) and Alma Gene Amendola, four sons Judge Travis Eugene Kitchens, Jr. (Susan), Paul Kitchens (Patricia), John Timothy Kitchens (Susan Witherspoon), Dr. Daniel Lee Kitchens (Michelle), fourteen grandchildren Lisa Stewart (Shawn), Sergio Gutierrez (Jade), Mario Gutierrez (Sarah Fink), Eric Persky, Joseph Kitchens, Russell Persky (Lydia), Samuel Kitchens (Jaclyn), Wil Kitchens, Shannon Fagan (Dan), Anna McWhorter (Brady), Nathaniel Kitchens, Alexandra Amendola, Grant Kitchens (Sirina), Lance Kitchens, and nine great-grandchildren Madeline Stewart, Cara Fagan, Oscar Gutierrez, Sophia Kitchens, Malcolm Gutierrez, Beatrix Kitchens, Annabelle Fagan, Daniel Fagan, and Michael Fagan. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023, which would have been Travis and Delores’ seventy-ninth wedding anniversary. The ceremony will be held at Moody Leon Cemetery at the gravesite of Travis and Delores. Memorial donations in Delores’ honor may be made to Alzheimer Association https://act.alz.org/donate, Community Cancer Association of Waco https://wacocancer.org, or Moody Leon Cemetery Association, c/o A. L. Munz, 15792 Munz Road, Moody Tx. 76557. Another link is broken in our household band But another one is forming in a better land.

Delores Grace Kitchens

February 18, 1927 - June 17, 2023