COURTLAND—Janet Whitehead Kitchen, 82, passed away May 11, 2013. Mrs. Kitchen was born in Norfolk and resided in the Sebrell area of Southampton County most of her life. She was a daughter of the late William Nicholas and Evelyn Rowe Whitehead. Mrs. Kitchen was a 1948 graduate of Courtland High School and attended the Pan American Business School. She was a retired deputy clerk of court for the Southampton County Clerk’s Office with over forty years of service. She retired in 1993. Mrs. Kitchen was a lifelong member of the Sebrell United Methodist Church and enjoyed quilting, sewing and baking. She was known by her family as the family historian for both the Whiteheads and the Kitchens.

A nice and unselfish lady that had many friends, she leaves to cherish her memory, her husband of 59 years, Emerson Benjamin Kitchen; one daughter, Kay K. Kitchen of Capron; one son, Emerson Benjamin Kitchen, Jr. and his wife, Vivian, of Sebrell; one sister, Bettie R. Whitehead of Virginia Beach; four grandchildren, Lindsay G. Smith, Jordan E. Smith, Stefanie Kitchen and Richard B. Kitchen.

A graveside funeral will be held at 11a.m., Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at the Barn Tavern Cemetery, Sebrell with the Rev. Rita Kanten officiating. The family received friends Monday, May 13, 2013 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, and suggest that memorials be made to the charity of your choice. www.wrightfuneralhome.org.