Larry Arthur Kitchen, 83, of rural Waverly, Missouri, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at Good Shepherd Care Community in Concordia.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at Waverly United Methodist Church with Pastor Andrew Sanders officiating. Burial with military rites will follow at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville. Visitation will be held Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Concordia. Memorials are suggested to Waverly United Methodist Church or his Santa Fe FFA Chapter. An online guestbook is available at www.campbell-lewis.com.
Larry was born June 26, 1940 in Waverly to the late Frank Arthur Kitchen and Lucille Martha Gowin Kitchen. He was a lifelong resident of the Waverly and Blackburn area, graduating from Santa Fe High School in Grand Pass in 1958, and was a lifelong farmer. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for 28 months, part of which was spent in Korea, where he was a member of Tyman Blackburn American Legion Post 478. On March 31, 1963, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waverly, he married Mary Ellen Fine, who survives at home. Larry was a member of Waverly United Methodist Church, where he served on various boards, as a member of the Lafayette County Water District, and in various other community roles. In his youth, he enjoyed hunting arrowheads, going to the lake, and riding motorcycles. Larry was proud to have earned his pilot's license, and he enjoyed flying his plane with Mary Ellen by his side. Now a “daddy,” he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and attended all their events. You can find Larry farming in the fields, working in the woodshop, or enjoying time with his friends and family.
In addition to his wife of 61 years, Mary Ellen; He is survived by two children, Todd Kitchen (Betsy) of Blackburn and Paige Rimback (Jim) of Coder; four grandchildren: Chance Limback (Amanda), Marie Rabenau (Austin), Crede Kitchen, and Kierstin Kitchen; one great-grandchild, Claire Raveneau; as well as his nieces and nephews.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents and brother Wayne Kitchen.
