Phyllis “Jean” Kitchen was born on October 2, 1940, in Ames, Oklahoma, to Hattie Marcele Oliver and Alvis Edward Oliver. She was raised in Enid, Oklahoma, where she graduated from Enid High School in 1958. She later married and moved with her family to California, where she and her then-husband operated a number of family-owned small businesses until their retirement in 2005. 

In 2008, she courageously removed herself from a longstanding abusive marriage and moved to the state of Virginia, where she enjoyed the company of family and friends until her death on August 15, 2024.  She sweetened the lives of those who knew her.  Jean was an avid reader and enjoyed traveling.

She is survived by her brother, Doug Oliver; two children, Tim Kitchen and Deborah Swaim; two grandchildren, Dawn Kaku and Willliam Sarmento; five great-grandchildren, and her beloved dog Shya.

Arrangements are under the care of Peninsula Funeral Home.