Mr. Henry Little "Buck" Kitchin, 74, of Southport, N.C., died after a long illness on August 29, 2013 at Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Wilmington, surrounded by his family.

He was born on February 7, 1939 in East Orange, New Jersey, the son of Alvin Paul Kitchin, originally of Scotland Neck, N.C., and Dora Bennett Little Kitchin, originally of Wadesboro, N.C. After living for short times in Newark, Dallas, and Miami, where his father served in local offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the family returned in 1945 to his mother's hometown of Wadesboro, North Carolina. There he attended local schools, and was an Eagle Scout. At Wadesboro High School, from which he graduated in 1957, he was student body president and earned All-State honors as a running back on the football team. He attended Wake Forest College, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order, and graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1961; he also attended Wake Forest School of Law, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, and graduated with his law degree in 1963.

He began active duty service in the United States Army in 1963, and was honorably discharged in 1965 with the rank of Captain. He returned to North Carolina to practice law. After practicing in Charlotte for five years, in 1970 he joined the firm of Leath & Bynum in Rockingham; in 2010, he retired from the same firm, now known as Kitchin, Neal, Webb, Webb & Futrell. During his legal career, he was an accomplished criminal and civil trial attorney and a trusted counselor and advisor. He was a member of the Twentieth Judicial District Bar, the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He practiced in the federal and state courts located in North Carolina. He was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

He was an active outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman and conservationist. In particular, he enjoyed turkey hunting. He was a former President of the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. His interest in conservation was also evidenced by his service as a member of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, where he helped create the North Carolina Wildlife Endowment Fund and the Lifetime Sportsman program, and his later service on the board of the North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund. At other times, he was actively involved in Ducks, Trout and Quail Unlimited. He also enjoyed raising retrievers and bird dogs.

Surviving him is his immediate family: his wife, Frances Davis ("Cissy") Kitchin, of the home; his son, Henry L. ("Hal") Kitchin, Jr., his wife, Mabel Trask Kitchin, and their son, Henry Little Kitchin III, of Wilmington; his daughter, Caroline Kitchin Jones, her husband, Christopher Scott Jones, and their sons, Christopher Kitchin Jones and Bennett Davis Jones, of Wilmington; his brother, Dr. Paul Kitchin and his wife, Joanne, of Monroe, their daughter DoraAnn McKenzie, and son Paul Kitchin IV; and his brother-in-law, Tommy Davis and his wife, Pam, of Greenville, South Carolina, and their daughters Amy Moore and Melissa Price. He is also survived by a large extended family, including several aunts and many cousins.

Preceding him in death are his father, Alvin Paul Kitchin, and his mother, Dora Bennett Little Kitchin.

The family would like to express its gratitude to the health care providers who cared for him so lovingly over the last several years, including in particular those who gave him comfort in his last months - Dr. Linda Calhoun and Marcia Bosch of Cape Fear Heart Associates, as well as Mary McNear and all of the other wonderful health care providers and volunteers with the Lower Cape Fear Hospice & Life Care Center.

Those who knew Buck will always remember his kindness, his patience, his reassuring smile, his steady demeanor, his love of the outdoors, and his hard work on behalf of the people and causes he loved and represented. He was a respected lawyer and an accomplished sportsman, but more importantly, he was a loving, caring, patient and faithful husband, father, brother and friend.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 7 at 2 p.m. at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Southport. The Rev. Barry P. Kubler will preside. There will be a visitation prior to the memorial service beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Church's Chapel of the Cross.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that consideration be given to a donation in Buck's memory to one of the following: Lower Cape Fear Hospice (1406 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, N.C. 28401 or hospiceandlifecarcenter.org), the North Carolina Wildlife Endowment Fund (c/o N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1702 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699), the NCBA Foundation (8000 Weston Parkway, Cary, N.C. 27513 or ncbar.org/development), or to a charity of the donor's choice.

You may send online condolences to www.peacocknewnamwhite.com.

Paid obituary