Marilyn Ann Kitchell

Marilyn Ann Miller Kitchell, age 87, a resident of Lewisville, Texas, stepped into the presence of Jesus on March 12, 2023. She was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on March 19, 1935 to Frank and Emily (Cadman) Miller. When she was a teenager, she attended Girl Guide camp in the summers, and it was there that she learned about Jesus. She accepted Him as her Lord and Savior, and that decision changed her life. After high school, Marilyn went to secretarial school, seminary, and then to nursing school becoming a registered nurse, and later earning a certification as a nurse anesthetist. It was in nursing school that she met Howard Searle. They married and became medical missionaries to both India and Bangladesh for more than twenty years. Over the course of their marriage, they had four children together: Christie, Jonathan, Dan, and Martha.

After returning from the mission field, Marilyn worked as an administrative assistant for several companies. Her last job was at Tyndale House Publishing, which she loved. She thoroughly enjoyed reading, and she took full advantage of her discount there, even after she retired! In 1989, she attended a Bible memorization class, where she met Abbott Kitchell. They married in 2000 at College Church in Wheaton, Ilinois, where they were both active members serving faithfully for many years in a variety of ways.

Marilyn loved Jesus more than anything, and she loved to read and study her Bible, often for hours each day. Her favorite thing to do was pray, taking the verses she had memorized and using them to intercede for people around the world. She prayed faithfully for her four children and their families. However, her prayers didn’t stop there. If you asked her to pray for something or someone, you could rest assured that they were covered in prayer on a regular basis. As she grew older, Marilyn grew in kindness and gentleness and she chose to forgive those that hurt her deeply over her lifetime. Her heart was simply to share the gospel of grace with everyone she met.

Marilyn loved to laugh and have fun, and was always appreciative of a good pun or prank. Always a cheerful giver, she gave generously of herself, her time, and her finances. She was a talented woman with many skills and abilities, including playing her beloved piano, and she used whatever she had to serve Jesus and those around her. Rarely did she meet a stranger!

Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband of 18 years, Frank Abbott Kitchell, and is survived by her four children, Christie (Hugh) Murrow, Jonathan (Debbi) Searle, Dan (Jessica) Searle, and Martha (Tom) Halter, 14 grandchildren, Julia (Alex), Kathryn, Jonny (Allison), Sarah (Rob), Brad, Emily, Jake (Allison), Caleb (fiancee Hannah), Luke, Isabella, Josiah, Eliana, Elijah, and Levi, as well as great-grandchildren, Robbie, Maddie, Olivia, Ellie, Olivia, Reid, Rose, and Ava. She was also loved by Abbott’s children, David Kitchell, Samuel (Alexandra) Kitchell, and Paul Kitchell, along with four grandchildren, Jade, Brody, Thomas, and Steven.

Her memorial service will be held at Lakeland Baptist Church in Lewisville, Texas, where she was a member, on April 14th, 2023 at 11a.m. Visitation will be held from 10a.m. to just before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be sent in her honor to either Lakeland Baptist Church in Lewisville, Texas or Dunklin Memorial Church in Okeechobee, Florida. Both ministries were near and dear to her heart.