Barbara Goetz Cook '69 tried to get this year-old obituary to me during the time I was transitioning. Not THAT kind of transitioning! Transitioning from home, to the ER, to the hospital, to the post-acute care unit, to my new "Forever Home" at Novellus Clairemont. Barbara and John grew up together in the Rolando neighborhood.
John Lee Kitchell ’69 was born in San Diego on September 25, 1951. He had a lot of adventurous stories of growing up in San Diego county. Many weekends were spent at the beach or the desert where his family liked to camp and search for Indian artifacts. John also liked to help his dad deliver milk on his dairy route. John was in student government and lettered in gymnastics and track and field. He went on to UCSD where he received a degree in biology but still had time for competitive gymnastics. During this time he worked for Rocky Home Dairy and dabbled in flying. John met Karen Honeycutt at a dairy Christmas dinner and were married in March of 1972. Soon after they moved to Houston, Texas for John to attend Baylor College of Medicine in the Physician Assistant program. They had planned to move back to San Diego, but after a "practice" job interview at Stanislaus County Medical Center they made the decision to move to Modesto. This began his long and rewarding career as a Physician Assistant. John and Karen had a full life in Modesto raising their daughters, Michelle and Lisa. The four enjoyed camping, traveling in their motorhome, and taking gymnastics and piano lessons together. For years you could find them all skating at Roller King for fun and for competition. Diagnosed with cancer more than 20 years ago, he died on February 15, 2024 in Springtown, Texas.
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