Patrick James Kitchin

Patrick James Kitchin, a cherished father, brother, uncle, and son, passed away in Lake Orion, Michigan, on February 6, 2026. Pat was born on May 1, 1965, in Lexington, Kentucky, on Derby Day to James and Joanne Kitchin. As a child, he moved to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and finally Ohio, where his family settled in the Cleveland area. He attended Pennsylvania State University and obtained a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. He worked in the chemicals and specialty gases industry for over 25 years, beginning his career at Air Products, and later moving to Airgas, where he held a variety of roles over the years, including process engineer, plant manager, and vice president of operations. His work took him and his family to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia. He eventually settled in Michigan to be closer to his children in the automotive industry.

He was an accomplished engineer and could figure out how to fix anything around the house. He was a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, even sneaking a radio into his room to listen to games as a kid, but his true passion was fishing. His love for fishing began at a young age, accompanying his grandfather on the annual trek to Lac Seul, Ontario, a tradition he passed down to his own son. Other favorite trips included Vermillion Bay, Ontario; Galveston, Texas; and Zihuatanejo, Mexico. He traveled many hours by car, houseboat and even seaplane over the years to find the perfect spot.

He is survived by his father James Kitchin, his mother Joanne Kitchin, his daughter Emily (Trevor) Gonzales, his son Benjamin (Kaitlyn Krozek), sister Laura (Mark) Sokol, brother David, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his former wife Jodi Shellenbarger and many in-laws.

His family has suggested donations in his memory to help preserve the great outdoors, such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. National Park Service.