Obituary of Edward H. Kitchen

Edward “Sonny” Kitchen was born on November 26, 1971 in Trenton, NJ and passed away on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at University of Penn Hospital after a lengthy illness. Sonny was a lifelong resident of Lawrenceville and a graduate of Lawrence High School. Sonny was a life member of Lawrence Road Fire Company where he volunteered as a firefighter and responded to emergencies for over 20 years and rose to the rank of Captain. He was employed as a 911 dispatcher for both Capital Health and Mercer County Central, which communicates with fire and EMS throughout the county. Firefighting, sharing his knowledge and experience with younger fireman, as well as helping others was at the core of his being. He was always eager to let you know what he knew. Sonny had many loves, most notably his family, wife and three children; his best friend and brother John, as well as, his extended family and friends. Sonny was an avid Philadelphia sports fan, both Phillies and Eagles. He was an Eagles season ticket holder attending many games with his firefighter family and he had a tremendous amount of Eagles gear. Thursday nights at Colonial Bowling & Entertainment will never be the same without Sonny. Sonny was an athlete in High School and he loved to watch his sons and nephews follow in his footsteps playing high school and college sports. Sonny loved his motor home, to which he made many improvements and had all the best camping equipment. Sonny always wanted to go camping and in 2008 he went on a cross country vacation with three other families, which because of him, included a trip to Roswell, New Mexico to visit the place where aliens were sighted. Anyone who knew Sonny knew of his belief in aliens. He loved traveling on cruises and most especially on his annual vacation to Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach. Sonny loved dogs especially his longtime companion, Chaos who preceded him in death. Sonny rescued two Siberian Huskies, who brought him a lot of joy in the last few years. Sonny’s memories will be cherished by his wife, Kimberly and three children Terrance (Kelsey), Cameren, and Casey; his mother Janet Lennon; his siblings William and Santa Fleming, Karen Edwards, John and Paula Fleming, Janet and Alonzo Engram; his mother-in-law, Mary Ann Gregorek; his gram, Barbara Mooring; sister-in-law Carla Shabazz. Several nieces and nephews, Thomas, Sheila, Nate, Isaac, Adrian, Johnathan, Jordan, Jalyn, Jaleel, Ihsan, Madison, and Zoe; a special cousin Jeannie Moore; a special friend Beth Finger, and a host of cousins and friends. A celebration of Sonny's life will be held on Wednesday; August 23, at 11 am at Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors at 650 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville. A committal service will follow at the chapel at Ewing Cemetery and Crematorium, 78 Scotch Road, Ewing Twp. Viewing hours will be held Tuesday; August 22, from 5 to 8 pm and Wednesday from 10 to 11 am at the funeral home. Lawrence Road Fire Company will hold their service at 7 pm on Tuesday. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Lawrence Road Fire Company1252 Lawrence Rd, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.