Ben Judson Kitchings

Dr. Ben Judson Kitchings of Long Beach went home to be with the Lord on Monday, September 21, 2015. Dr. Kitchings was born in Forkville, Mississippi on December 31, 1930, and he was the fourth child of Atley Asher Kitchings and Marion Mudd Kitchings. Ben graduated from Mississippi College and married Ann Wharton Kitchings of Pass Christian on August 18, 1951. Dr. Kitchings earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1955 and completed his post-graduate training at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee in 1956. Dr. Kitchings served two years as a Major in the United States Air Force at Valdosta, Georgia as head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Moody Air Force Base. In 1959, after his honorable discharge from the USAF, the Kitchings family moved to Long Beach where Dr. Kitchings established his family medicine practice and he and Ann raised their family of three daughters, Kim, Lynn, and Lori. Dr. Kitchings was known for his kindness and devotion to his family and his patients. He practiced medicine in Long Beach for 54 years and served on the medical staff at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, holding various medical staff leadership positions. Dr. Kitchings’ home and clinic were destroyed not once, but twice, by hurricanes (Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005). Both times, he immediately made himself available to counsel, comfort, and care for the people in his community while rebuilding his home and practice. Throughout his years in medical practice, Dr. Kitchings mentored many medical students. His gentle spirit and keen sense of humor were evident when he described Family Medicine as “specializing in the skin and its contents." Dr. Kitchings received many awards, highlighted by his recognition as the 2011 Family Physician of the Year by the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians. Not only did Dr. Kitchings care for the medical and emotional needs of his patients and colleagues, he also cared for their spiritual needs. A dedicated Christian, he was an active member of First Baptist Church of Long Beach for many years and then was a founding member of Long Beach Community Church, where he spent many years preaching and teaching God's Word. Dr. Kitchings also served in many capacities in his community. He was a member of the Long Beach School Board and served many years as chairman of the Long Beach Republican Committee. Dr. Kitchings was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Harold T. Kitchings, and his daughter, Kim Kitchings. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ann Kitchings; daughter Lynn Kitchings Bradshaw and her husband, Ron, of Waco, Texas; daughter Lori Kitchings Hilton and her husband, Perry, of Gulfport; and his beloved grandchildren, Ben Bradshaw and wife, A.J., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth Bradshaw Henning and her husband, Ryan, of Austin, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, Atley A. Kitchings, Jr, and wife, Betty Jane; brother, John T. Kitchings, and wife, Mindy; and sister, Grace Kitchings Hannah and husband Bob. Dr. Kitchings' family is very grateful for the dedicated caregivers and physicians who assisted him in recent years. Services will be held Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Long Beach Community Church with Dr. Ron Bradshaw, his son-in-law, officiating. The family will receive friends at the church after the service. Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport will be handling the arrangements. View and sign register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Long Beach Community Church, P.O. Box 947, Long Beach, MS 39560 or the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, 755 Avignon Dr., Ridgeland, MS 39517.