William H. (Bill) Kitchens, Sr.

William H. (Bill) Kitchens, Sr., 86, of Valdosta, died on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at South Georgia Medical Center following a period of declining health. He was born on December 22, 1932 in Quitman to the late Herbert and Beatrice Dobson Kitchens. He was a graduate of Quitman High, and upon graduation moved to Washington, D.C. to work with the U.S. Senate office under an appointment by Senator Walter F. George of Georgia. While in Washington, he attended George Washington University and the University of Maryland. He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict and was recognized as the outstanding soldier in his company and for expert marksmanship. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he returned to Washington, D.C. and resumed his appointment in the Senate office of Senator Walter F. George until the senator’s retirement. He returned to Georgia to resume his studies at the University of Georgia School of Law where he earned his Doctor of Juris Prudence in 1962. After working in Atlanta for several years, he returned to Valdosta where he practiced law. He was a member of the Georgia Bar Association as well as the Florida Bar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Southern Judicial Circuit Bar Association and the Valdosta Bar Association. Mr. Kitchens was a member of First Baptist Church.
He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, V’Ann Kitchens of Valdosta; four sons and a daughter-in-law, William H. Kitchens, Jr., of Atlanta, Michael Kitchens of Athens, Stewart and Lori Young of Valdosta, and Thomas Young, Jr., of Atlanta; his daughter, Kimberly Berry of Greenville, South Carolina; three grandchildren, William H. (Trey) Kitchens III, Cameron Young, and Casey Young; his brother, Herbert Kitchens of Huntsville, Alabama, and a sister, Ailene Lanter of Thomasville; his long-time friends and secretaries, Margaret Bennett and Eva Grimsley. The family would like to express their love and appreciation for the caregivers of Mr. Kitchens, Laura Treadwell and Mattie Register. He was preceded in death by his sister, Myrtice Hamrick.
A celebration of life service for William H. (Bill) Kitchens, Sr., will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019 in the chapel of the Carson McLane Funeral Home. Please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Condolences to the family may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com. Carson McLane.