Mary Kitchen

Mary Kay Kitchen
“Kay” was born on July, 10th 1942 in Kalida, Ohio, and passed away peacefully on August 25th, 2016 in Columbus where she lived and worked most of her life. Kay grew up on a farm where she gained a passion for learning and teaching. She earned her Bachelors in education at Bowling Green. She continued her education while teaching grade school in Columbus and earned her Masters at OSU. She eventually accepted a position in Toledo, Ohio as the County Special Education Superintendent. While there,she earned her PhD from Toledo University in Special Education Curriculum. She was a published author in her field.
Kay was very passionate about her faith, teaching others about Jesus at every opportunity. She spent more than ten years teaching English and other things in China and Israel. She mastered difficult foreign languages and spent a considerable amount of her own resources helping others learn. She would still be teaching others if not home-bound due to her illness.
Kay was preceded in death by her sister Connie Francis, her parents Paul and Alice Gerdeman, and her stepmother Edna Bockrath. She is survived by her sons Ken (Debbi) Kitchen of Circleville, Joe (Trinka) Kitchen of Columbus, and Tim (Gretchen) Kitchen of Pickerington. Kay is also survived by her grandchildren Ethan, Abraham, Sera, and Eli.
In lieu of Flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or Kindred at Home Hospice. Special Thank You to the loving caregivers at the Mitchell House in Westerville.