Imogene €œJean” Kinchen Kitchens

Imogene “Jean” Kinchen Kitchens, 87, was born January 10, 1934 and passed Thursday, June 24, 2021 surrounded by family.  Jean graduated from Ponchatoula High as class valedictorian of the class of 1952.  She attended her beloved Louisiana State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in English and then attended Southeastern Louisiana University where she met her husband of 61 years, Thomas Wayne Kitchens (deceased) and received her Master’s degree.  

Jean spent much of her early life as an educator teaching at various middle schools, the Hammond Area Vocational School and Southeastern Louisiana University.  She later received her plus 30 at LSU in counseling and worked for many years at Walker High School as the school’s guidance counselor until her retirement.  Jean was also very involved in the church and was a member of First Baptist Church (Hammond) and later First Baptist Church (Ponchatoula).  Although Jean taught hundreds of pupils throughout the years, perhaps her favorite students, were the members of her Sunday School class at First Baptist Church (Hammond)

Jean and husband Wayne generously provided a home to many children, not their own, including David Ordogne and Andrew Ordogne (deceased) and later devoted their lives to their two adopted children, Roger and Rosamaend, and grandson, Kitch.

Jean is survived by her daughter, Rosamaend Oglesbee and husband Tom Oglesbee, her grandson, Jimmy “Kitch” Taylor, III; son, Roger Kitchens. She is also survived by her sister, Shirley Hill.  She is preceded in death by her husband, Wayne Kitchens; parents, Henry and Rosa Kinchen; sisters, Mary Hill and Rosa Mae Traylor; and brothers, Curtis, Henry and Dewitt Kinchen.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the burial service Sunday, June 27, 2021 at 2:30 pm at Jerusalem Baptist Church Cemetery, Pumpkin Center, Louisiana.

An on-line guest book is available at www.harrymckneely.com.