Dennis Lee Kitchen
HANCOCK — Dennis Lee Kitchen, 66, a resident of Hancock, passed away on November 17, 2016, in Okemos, of a heart related complication.
He was born on December 2, 1949, in Hancock, the only son and last child of the late Alfred and Annabelle (Fountaine) Kitchen. Raised as a loving son of Dr. Howard and Joan Otto. Dennis attended Houghton High School.
On June, 23, 1973, he married Diane Ristila of Hancock. The couple continued to reside in Hancock, where they raised five children.
In 1969, Dennis was drafted into the United States Army and completed a full year in Vietnam, spending part of his tour at the notorious Khe Sanh Combat Base, where he earned a Bronze Star Medal.
Throughout the Western U.P., Dennis was known to be the area’s best chef and caterer for decades, starting at the age of 14, he worked at the Dog House, moving on to many places, including The Library Bar.
He discovered the wide scope of his cooking talent in the Army, where he would turn Army-grade lunches into something more than edible. His passion and philosophy that “everyone has to eat” inspired him to keep the Khe Sanh mess hall open late for grunts returning from the field.
Dennis last worked for Sysco Foods, often advising restaurants where he stopped for lunch on how to improve their recipes. Once, while having lunch and discovering a chili that was close to his, but missing something, Dennis left the chef with a napkin of his recipe and advice.
In 1989, his only daughter, Elisha, was struck by a car while exiting her school bus on Hancock Street. Dennis devoted the remaining years of his life to taking care of his quadriplegic daughter.
Dennis was a past member of the Lions and Elk Clubs, with his Friday Night Fish Fry’s fundraisers, creating long lines and unprecedented turnouts.
Known for being the biggest hit at the party, Dennis’s sense of humor and quick wit was overshadowed only by a well-groomed handle-bar mustache, which he kept for over 40 years.
Proceeding him in death were his father, Alfred; mother, Annabelle; sisters, Greta and Marie along with Dr. Howard Otto.
Surviving are his wife, Diane Ristila Kitchen of Hancock; children, Chris Kitchen and wife, Martha of Lake Anne, Robert and wife, Tara Kitchen of Okemos, Elisha Kitchen of Hancock, Tony Kitchen of Budapest, Hungary, Michael and wife, Jenna Kitchen, of Chicago; three grandchildren, Katie, Aaron, and Kyra Kitchen; his sisters, Theresa and husband, Kenny Haralson of Lake Linden, Darlene Maki and husband, Dan of Lake Linden, Janet Palosi of Peloso Heights, Illinois; his mom, Joan Otto of East Lansing; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services for Dennis will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 26, 2016, at the Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church of Houghton, with Rev. Aaron Gehrke to officiate.
A visitation will be held on Friday, November 25, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church of Houghton.
To view Dennis’s obituary or to send condolences to the family, please visit memorialchapel.net
The Memorial Chapel & Plowe Funeral Homes of Hancock have been assisting the family with the arrangements.