Grover Harrison Kitchens

Reverend Grover Harrison (Bobby) Kitchens age 94 of Gadsden, Alabama passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 21, 2024. Bobby was born July 23, 1930 near Ashville, Alabama. He was a current resident of Gadsden, Alabama and a member of First Baptist Church of Gadsden.

He was preceded in death by his parents Nellie Lou Rhodes Kitchens and James Harrison Kitchens as well as three brothers and seven sisters. He is survived by his wife of over sixty years, Martha Stanford Kitchens and son Dr. Grover Harrison Kitchens, II, nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, numerous friends and his First Baptist Church Sunday school class.

He was a 1948 graduate of Ashville High School and organized many class reunions over the years. He attended Howard College (Samford University) and upon returning to Gadsden became a bi-vocational pastor to several churches in Etowah county as well as Cherokee county. In his fifty-five years of ministry though, he served several churches, his thirty-seven year pastorate at Shiloh Baptist Church in Leesburg, Alabama was an important part of his ministry. At the same time that he returned to Gadsden, he began a fifty-five year banking career with American National Bank in downtown Gadsden and then with Exchange Bank of Rainbow City, and retired banking from the Attalla branch.

He was very active in the South Gadsden Civitan Club. After retiring from the ministry in 2006 he took a grand adventure and worked at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for eight years. There he worked in the cash office and did what he loved most and interacted with people. His joy was always his church parishioners and his customers in the banking industry. He enjoyed personal interactions and helping others and became a friend to many. For over fifty years he enjoyed camping with his family. Getting up and cooking breakfast on the Coleman stove and eating on the picnic table outside. Riding bicycles and enjoying nature or napping under the awning. He and his family had many amazing adventures on the road.

After returning to Gadsden from Dollywood he enjoyed being active with his church, teaching a Sunday school class, working in his greenhouse and yard, and attending events and concerts with his family. He had a great love of music, played the piano, and enjoyed symphony concerts and musical events. He frequently attended the Gadsden Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Pops, and events at Snead State Community College. One of his proudest achievements was graduating from The School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University and attending numerous Civitan and Southern Baptist conventions. In all things, banking, the ministry, and cashiering at Dollywood, he was a caring and compassionate person to all.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Christopher Nichols, the eighth floor cancer nurses and doctors at UAB hospital, the personnel of Amedisys Hospice. Honorary pallbearers are the members of his First Baptist Gadsden Sunday school class.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024 at First United Methodist Church with visitation from two until three pm and the service at three pm, conducted by Reverend Sherri Reynolds. In lieu of flowers the family request donations to the Kitchens Memorial Scholarship at Snead State Community College to enable students in religious studies and the fine arts to achieve their goals.