Eunice Irene Vinson Kitchens

Eunice Irene Vinson Kitchens, 94, passed away Sunday, April 11, 2021. A graveside service will be held at New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery with the Reverend John Haney officiating, Tuesday 13, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.

Born on December 7, 1926, she was the daughter of Jesse Thomas Vinson and Eula Bell Wall Vinson in Fort Valley and later moved to Macon as a child. She graduated from Miller High School for Girls. She joined the Army Nursing Cadets and graduated from Macon Hospital as an R.N. where she continued nursing as an operating room supervisor until joining Dr. H.B. Jones’ practice in Gray. She later went to work as a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service serving for twenty five years until she retired in 1986.

Preceding her in death was her husband of sixty years, James Howard Clayton Kitchens, whom she married on February 8,1947. Also preceding her in death were her brothers, James Monroe Vinson and Jesse Thomas Vinson.

Mrs. Kitchens is survived by her daughters Carol Kitchens Phillips (Ted) and Kathy Kitchens Batsel (Jim), grandchildren Amy Christine Phillips Mathews (Casey) of Warner Robins, Zachary Clayton Phillips (Elizabeth) of Clarkesville, Ga., Jacob James Batsel of Rotonda Florida, Michelle Batsel Neely of Phoenix, AZ, Mellissa Batsel-Santos (Eduardo) of Naples Florida, and Dr. James C. Batsel, step-grandson, of Rock Spring, Ga. Great grandchildren, Georgia Grace Phillips, Everleigh Jean Phillips, Lucy Rae Phillips, Kenneth Clayton Mathews, Juliana Christine Mathews, Alivia Brynn Neely, Sophie Laken Neely, Gemma Kate Neely, Aliyana Mellissa Santos, Gabriel Eduardo Santos, and Jonathan Batsel (step-great grandson), nieces and nephews that were very dear to her.

She was a member of the Gray United Methodist Church and a member of the Jones County Lions Club where service in the Lions Club awarded her Lion of the Year for dedication and work as secretary for many of the twenty-seven years membership. Whenever the opportunity, she enjoyed travel. As a lion, she and Clayton attended conventions from district to international. They would always join a bus tour or take a short trip as long as the two of them could go together.

The family wishes to thank the Benton Village staff for their care and support for more than five years. Irene will be missed by all that know her from her family to her neighbors at Benton Manor in Stockbridge. She was a leader of “walkers with walkers” that walked the halls together, remembering names on the apartment doors.

Irene kept it going for as long as she could for 94 years, and would always say to us, “hang in there, you never know what God has in store for you”.
Gifts in her memory may be made to the Gray United Methodist Church or the New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery Fund.

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Hart’s Mortuary and Cremation Center, Jones County Chapel, has charge of arrangements.

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