Obituaries

Jettie Arlene King Chitwood, passed Sunday, December 7, 2025, Arlene was born in Patrick County, Virginia. Arlene was born on Monday, June 10, 1935, one of the thirteen siblings of the late Samuel and Jettie Mae Gammons King and had retired from DuPont.

In addition to her parents, Arlene was preceded in death by her husband, Albert Chitwood, seven brothers; Harvey, Percy, Aldie, Willie, Elmer, Carlos, and Warren King, and five sisters; Mary Etta, Mamie, Gladys, Mildred, and Lena and a son-in-law, John Poe. Arlene leaves to cherish her memory, and legacy, two daughters, Sandy C. DeHart (Trampess), and Debra C. Poe, five grandchildren; John Poe (Rachel), Jerry Poe (Heather), Michelle Robinson, Cody DeHart, and April Clark (Peter), eight great-grandchildren; Chelsea Theiss (Michael), Chase Poe, Anna Keith (Caleb), Elizabeth Poe, Jordan, and Caleb Rohrer, and Casey and Kinsley Clark, along with several nieces and nephew.

Her long and remarkable life would awaken the interest of the historian. She was born while Franklin D. Roosevelt served as our thirty-second President, and her family, along with other American’s lived during the economic devastation of the Great Depression, during World War II, President Roosevelt, led Armed Forces into combat after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While Arlene was running in childish play, President Harry S. Truman, made the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan, which ended World War II. During President Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency, Arlene, at age nineteen, had her first child, Friday, September 3, 1954, which was a beautiful baby girl she named Debra, the Korean War ended, and he signed the Civil Right Act of 1957. At age twenty-four, Arlene had their second child, Tuesday, October 20, 1959. A beautiful baby girl who they named Sandra (Sandy).

Arlene, along with the rest of the United States, watched as news reports announced and aired the assignation of President John F. Kennedy, on November 11, 1963, and later that day, the swearing in of Kennedy’s Vice-President, Lyndon B. Johnson. During Johnson’s appointment to the Oval Office, he signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act that allowed equal voting rights and created the Medicare and Medicaid program. Arlene lessoned as news medias reported on June 6, 1968, that U.S. Senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. In 1969, at age thirty-four, Arlene watched as Richard M. Nixon became President, and during his presidency, implement a policy that ended the United States involvement in the Vietnam War; established relations with China and the Soviet Union, created the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), passed the Clean Air Act, and Arlene, was thirty nine, as she watched President Nixon address the nation and resign from the presidency, August 9, 1974, amid the Watergate scandal.

Gerald R, Ford, on September 8, 1974, granted full pardon to former President Richard R. Nixon, and during his presidency the Vietnam War officially ended. Arlene watched as news reporters reported the Iran Hostage Crisis, and Mother Teresa was recognized for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and for inspiring millions though her dedication to humanitarian work and service to “The poorest of the poor”. January of 1977, Jimmy Carter was elected president, and Sunday, September 17, 1977, Arlene was heartbroken from the passing of her husband, Albert. President Carter campaigned against Governor Ronald Reagan who was seeking to become President, and was elected. On January 20th, 1981, Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States. The Iran Hostage Crisis significantly impacted President Carter's presidency and contributed to his 1980 election defeat.

On January 20th, 1981, Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States, and Arlene, now at forty-six, viewed the reporter’s commentary regarding the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. President Reagan and his engagement with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, contributed to the end of the Cold War. He appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Conner, and in January 1986, Arlene watch on television, as he addresses the nation regarding the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

At age of fifty-eight, Arlene watched as President Bill Clinton, defeated George H. W. Bush and became the 42nd President of the United States and his becoming the second US President to be impeached. He was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate, so he remained in office. During the presidency of George W. Bush, Arlene now at sixty-six, stood shocked as she watched the attack on America as two commercial planes crash into the twin towers, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, and the subsequent “War on terror” which led to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Arlene along with many others struggled the financial crises that gripped the United States, during America’s first elected black President Barack Obama, who overseen the end of the Iraq War, and authorized the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

She witnessed the first woman candidate seeking the office of President, who then had served as the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton and the election of America’s first non-traditional, and non-politically persuaded businessman, Donald J. Trump, who defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton, and became the 45th president of the United States. It was at the close of President Trump’s first term, when the United States was devastated with the COVID 19 pandemic, and President Trump seeking a second term, champagning against Joseph 'Joe" Biden, was defeated by Joseph ‘Joe” Biden, who had previously served as the Vice President to Barack Obama. President Biden, facing a medical procedure which required him to be under sedation, and with his health concerns at the age of eighty two, made the decision to transferred the powers of the President to then Vice President Kamala Harris, on November 19, 2021, and she became the first woman, to serve as Commander and Chief of the United States for a total of 85 minutes.

President Biden became the oldest President in US history at the time he left office. Arlene watched as Kamala Harris, in 2024, launched her campaign for the office of President against Former President Donald J. Trump, who campaigned to serve his second term, and overwhelming defeated Harris, and became our 47th President of the United States.

Eloquences have spoken and pages have told of the heroic men and women of 1935-2025, but amid the woman of those times, whose heroism is without a parallel in human history, stood Jettie Arlene King Chitwood. Woman’s clubs and high social events were no part of her life, yet caring for her home, family, and friends, was her mission. May Arlene be remembered for the life she lived, work she performed and compassion she showed to others, and allow those attributes speak for her, when nothing else can be said.

A Celebration of Arlene’s life will be held 1:00 P.M. Wednesday, December 17. 2025, in Roselawn Chapel Funeral Home with Minister Buford Jessup, officiating. Interment will follow in Roselawn Burial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services beginning at 12 Noon.

Roselawn Chapel Funeral Home and Burial Park entrusted with arrangements.