Welcome to Kittrell Kindness Days
Thank you for visiting this page. Whether you are a new friend or if you have known Anne and Kevin your whole life…thanks for swinging by. If you came to this site because you received a random act of kindness that pointed you in this direction- welcome! We are glad you stopped in. #KittrellKindnessDays was meant to bless YOU.
Side note…Kevin’s nickname is Kitt and may be used interchangeably.
Meet the Kittrell family above- Kevin, Anne, Sam, Ben, and Emma. You will get to know pieces of the Kittrell story throughout this page. The Kittrell kiddos are now 21, 19, and 17-just a little older than the pictures above. Here’s the short of the story… This family has seen it’s share of heartache. Anne and Kevin were sharing 22 years of marriage and experiencing their child rearing years together when Kitt was diagnosed with Appendiceal Cancer in October of 2016 at the age of 46. After many ups and downs, Kitt went to his eternal home on Dec. 21, 2017. We were all devastated.
Anyway, fast forward almost 3 years. Anne was happy and living across the street from her favorite place, the Chesapeake Bay. Unexpectedly following complications from a minor knee surgery, Anne died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. So on Aug. 7, 2020 Anne went to her eternal home-less than 3 years later. No real warnings, no way to prepare for the news. Everyone was in shock.
While all of us are left with questions, we know that most of the questions won’t be answered this side of heaven. If I am honest, nothing really makes sense and yet, we believe that the Lord has a bigger plan. We certainly don’t agree with his plan or like it one bit, but at the end of the day…His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Grief can be crippling, especially on special days moving forward after someone’s death. As a way to help with my own grief- I came up with “Kittrell Kindness Days”. When special occasions creep up- birthdays, anniversaries, etc- I want to honor Anne and Kevin instead of staying stagnant. One thing I loved about Anne and Kevin was the kindness they showed me over the years of our friendship. Their kindness literally brought me back to life when I was going through a divorce 20 years ago. One thing Anne loved to do was to recycle glass jars and fill them with fresh cut flowers. Those jars would randomly end up on my porch (and several other friend’s porches) for no special reason- just to show love. So I believe a great way to remind me of the kindness she showed others, is to simply continue her tradition.
“Kittrell Kindness Days” has no boundaries. Lots of us are choosing to give flowers in recycled jars, but you can do whatever you want. You could leave a note for the Amazon delivery guy, for your mailman, or simply put a giftcard on someone’s car windshield. It doesn’t matter but the one thing I would ask is that it be random. Anne and Kevin did things without anyone ever knowing it was them- the kids agreed that their parents would want you to share what you were doing (share ideas with others) but NOT tell us exactly who the recipients are. Feel free to take pictures of the vases and flowers but no pictures of the recipients please. Does that make sense? Please use “#KittrellKindnessDays” when posting pictures. That way at any given time we can search and see pictures. The purpose of this is to bring someone a little bit of joy and honestly, to bring us joy in process. This world desperately needs a little more kindness! Let’s go out and do it… Kittrell Kindness style.
Obituary (somewhat revised)- Anne Duke Kittrell (April 10, 1971- August 7, 2020) Ask anyone what they remember about Anne Duke Kittrell and they will mention her love for her children, and her innate ability to meet people right where they are in life. Anne went to her eternal home, unexpectedly, on the morning of Friday August 7 while on her way to a routine Doctor’s appointment. Anne was born in Lancaster, PA to James Edward and Barbara Duke. Her parents later settled in Damascus, MD for the majority of her childhood. She attended Damascus High School and graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Education. She received her Masters in Education from Old Dominion University as well as her Gifted Endorsement. Anne met Kevin Kittrell at James Madison University and married him on January 1, 1994. They were married for 24 years. They were blessed to have three amazing children: Samuel, Benjamin, and Emma. Christ was always at the center of their family. Anne, Kevin, and their children followed a call in 2004 to start an international church in Brussels, Belgium. Anne and Kevin were part of the launch team for the first ever Serve the City, a global movement of volunteers showing kindness in practical ways to people in need. Anne and Kevin helped to launch the first Serve the City in Virginia Beach in December 2016, which is still an active and growing ministry. Anne served Virginia Beach City Public Schools in a multitude of ways as a teacher. Her career started at Ocean Lakes High School as an English teacher. Once she started having her children, she decided to stay home with her proudest accomplishments. Once she returned to the school system, she served in many capacities - as an elementary school gifted resource teacher, as a middle school literacy coach, and most recently, as a high school gifted resource teacher at Green Run High School. She had a passion for teaching children. But she was much more than a teacher to her students as she invested in them, spent time with them, and prayed for them. Kevin was diagnosed with cancer in late 2016. After a courageous year and a half battle, Kevin went to be with the Lord on December 21, 2017. After Kevin died Anne viewed life differently. She saw life as fleeting. She wanted to live her life abundantly and to the fullest. She didn’t wait “until tomorrow”. She consistently, authentically, and unapologetically lived life to its fullest. She invested in others and she loved deeply. For most of her time in Virginia Beach she attended and was fed at Trinity Church. Trinity ministered to her in such a special way, especially when she lost Kevin. However, after Anne gained her footing, Vineyard Church became her new church home where she was excited about deepening her walk with Jesus. Anne is survived by her parents, James Edward and Barbara Duke, her brother Chris Duke and his family, and her sister in law Kim George and her family. But most importantly she is survived by her wonderful children- Sam, Ben, and Emma. Anne would want all of us to shower her family, especially her children, with consistent prayers and unconditional love in the days, months, and years ahead. While Anne’s life was brief on this earth, we take comfort knowing where she is spending her eternity. Her life was celebrated on Aug 14 at Trinity Church/Oceanfront Campus. She was laid to rest with her husband at a private burial at Alfred G. Horton Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, VA. "Anne's Love Fund" has been set up for Green Run High School to accept any donations if anyone is interested in supporting the school & the children she served. #KittrellKindnessDays have also started to honor her and her husband. Read more on Facebook @KittrellKindnessDays.
Kevin Richard Kittrell (revised somewhat)
Virginia Beach - Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Richard Kittrell (aka Kitt) took his VIP seat at the Lord's banquet table on December 21, 2017. His struggle with appendiceal cancer was short, lasting 14 months, but his life and joy in heaven are eternal. He was born in Tyler, Texas on October 28, 1970 to his parents Kenneth and Sharon Kittrell. Kevin lived in the Lone Star state with his parents and younger sister Kim (George) until the age of 12, when they moved to Yorktown, Virginia. He excelled in academics and tennis, attending Tabb High School and James Madison University. The only priority that exceeded his commitment to family and friends was his love for Jesus, a relationship he began as a teenager.
A James Madison University ROTC scholarship graduate, Kevin was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army in May 1993. A few months later, he married his college sweetheart and best friend, Anne Duke Kittrell. On January 1, 1994, they began their 24 year adventure together in Virginia Beach, VA. The couple were blessed with three children: Samuel, Benjamin, and Emma Kittrell. Kevin, Anne and their kids helped start an international church and participate in the first Serve the City in 2005 in Belgium, a transformational life experience.
Kevin's integrity, faith and humility impacted all those who worked with him, befriended him, and loved him. His careers as an Army officer, reservist, church-planter and military contractor were successful and meaningful, giving him great opportunity to use his logistics skills to serve his Lord, his country and travel the world. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. In his spare time, Kitt initiated a VB Serve the City event in 2016, mobilizing service opportunities for people in need in Hampton Roads, which he continued in the summer of 2017 despite his illness.
Many thanks to the KittStrong community, spearheaded by Erik and Cherlynn Fagerheim, for their tireless friendship, prayers and care during this journey. Also, we are indebted to the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center team that cared for him so lovingly.
Although Kevin's joy in heaven fills our minds with peace, our hearts will always yearn for his earthly love and companionship. We celebrated his life on Sunday, January 7. A private burial occurred at Alfred G. Horton Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, VA. Feel free to make a donation to Serve the City Virginia Beach (send checks to Trinity Church with Serve the City designated in the memo line) or The Human Trafficking Institute.
Do you want to help the kids?
As you can imagine, this has been incredibly hard on Anne and Kevin's kids. They have been forced to grow up quicker than most kids their ages. This last year has been so incredibly tough. This Go Fund Me page was set up to help the expenses that will arise as they mature. Anne's brother Chris is walking alongside of them as he is a financial planner. They will NOT have direct access to any of this Go Fund Me money- Chris is managing it as the needs arise.
