Samuel F. Kitchell

Samuel F. Kitchell Samuel Farrand Kitchell, loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor, community leader and builder, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family on the evening of September 11, 2006. Born on November 6, 1921, in Hingham, Massachusetts, Sam was the third of four sons of Jeannette Abbott and Francis Robert Kitchell. In 1943 he graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in history and economics and married his college sweetheart, Betty Heimark. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in World War II and commanded SC 724, a sub-chaser, in the Pacific. Betty and Sam settled in Phoenix in 1948, where Sam pursued his lifelong passion for building, by founding Kitchell Contractors in 1950. The employee-owned Kitchell Corporation is now one of the country's largest builders and the seventh largest privately held company in Arizona. In 1969 he founded Doubletree Inns. Sam's philanthropic and civic activities benefited The Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, St. Luke's Hospital, Phoenix Thunderbirds, Desert Botanical Garden, Paradise Valley Country Club and Phoenix Country Club. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Arthur Young/Inc. Magazine, and was president of the Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, Arizona Town Hall, and the Scottsdale School Board. He was honored by the Arizona Chapter of the Newcomen Society, was co-founder of the Arizona Kidney Foundation, and was a recipient of the Construction Industry Pioneer Award. In 1992 Sam was inducted into the Arizona Business Hall of Fame. He served six years as a trustee of Amherst College, where he received an honorary Doctor of Law degree. A man of tremendous energy and kindness, Sam was passionate about tennis, bridge, cribbage, boating and his family. He was an art lover and collector, an insatiable reader, a philanthropist and a world traveler. With his piercing blue eyes and his rare ability to merge integrity with humility and success, he was an elegant man. He is survived by Betty, his wife of 63 years; his five children, Kaaren Kitchell (Richard Beban), Jane Kitchell, Jon Kitchell (Leatrice), Ann Denk (Greg), and Suki Edwards (Fred); his nine grandchildren, Bayu and Rachel LaPrade, Kari Denk MacDonald (Kevin), Clayton Denk, Sally and Jonathan Edwards, Towner Kitchell, and Lisanne and Ryan Murray; and his brothers, Frank (Ginny) Kitchell and Webster Kitchell. A memorial celebration will be held on Monday, November 6, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. at The Heard Museum. In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to The Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, or Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85014.

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