Thurman Delna Kitchin III

Thurman Delna Kitchin III (better known as "T") was born October 18, 1940 on a dairy farm in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He collapsed unexpectedly from a heart attack while on his daily walk on Thursday and passed away on Friday, June 4, 2021. He is preceded in death by his parents Thurman Delna Kitchin II and Nancy Lee Kitchin, and by his son Thurman Delna Kitchin IV. He is survived by his wonderful wife of 45 years, Janne Kitchin. He is also survived by his siblings Dr. John Kitchin, Dr. William Kitchin and spouse Beverly, and Lee Brown McCorristan and spouse Paul; his six children: Dr. Patty Kitchin and spouse Mark Leach, Julie Futch and spouse Jef, Anna Meyer and spouse Jimbo, Sarah Buell and spouse Bobby, Rebecca Zollars and spouse Scott, and John Kitchin. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. T was a pioneer in the development of weapon systems used for the defense of the United States of America. He was the founder, owner and CEO of Orlando Technology, Inc. (OTI). In the early days after T founded OTI, the company competed against the largest US defense contractors for the development of defense systems. It soon became apparent to the US defense industry that competing against OTI within Mr. Kitchin's area of expertise was a lost cause. OTI's reputation for excellence in the design and development of defense systems spread worldwide. In 1988-1989, T sold Orlando Technology to the predecessor firm of what is now known as Daimler-Benz Aerospace. Today the expertise and excellence of OTI is a part of the General Dynamics family of companies. Thurman D. Kitchin will long be remembered for his significant contributions to the defense of the United States of America. T always had a "glass is half-full" outlook on life and genuinely loved his family and their various exploits. T and Janne were adventurous and loved to travel the world together. T encouraged all of us to do what we loved, do it to our best and, most importantly, have fun along the way. He supported all of us through thick and thin, he was there cheering at our accomplishments ('living large') and supporting us through the difficulties ('knock it off, you knuckleheads'). He loved playing golf, which we expect he is doing right now. He loved playing with his kids and would spend hours at a time throwing the frisbee, snow skiing, or pulling them on water skis. He genuinely loved being around his multitude of friends, from his golf outings at Interlachen and other courses to extended breakfasts at Panera. He also found fulfillment in volunteering with the Wounded Warrior Outdoors, taking wounded soldiers hunting and fishing. He has left a gaping hole in all our lives. We will celebrate his life at a wake Tuesday, June 8, 2021 between 6pm-8pm at DeGusipe Funeral home: https://www.degusipefuneralhome.com/ and would love to shares stories with his friends. Private family services will follow later in the week. Please feel free to come and go and dress is casual. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Wounded Warrior Outdoors in memory of T: http://woundedwarrioroutdoors.com/donate/.

Thurman Delna Kitchin III

October 18, 1940 - June 4, 2021