Lora Mae Kitchen McCarthy passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at the age of 80, at her home in Sealy, surrounded by family and friends.

Lora was born on October 24, 1942, in Falfurrias, to Benjamin Clyde and Laura Brochet Kitchen. She was happily welcomed by her two brothers, Edgar and Tony, and her sister Marie. As the youngest child by almost a decade, her family doted on her.

In 1943, the family moved to Houston, where Lora grew up.

She attended Incarnate Word Academy and was active in several sports, including volleyball, softball, and basketball.

One day in January 1963, she went to a party (at her mother’s insistence) and met the love of her life, Michael. They were married in April 1964 and moved to the east coast where Mike was stationed with the Navy. When Mike retired from active duty, they moved back to Texas with their three children and settled in Sealy in 1975.

Throughout her life, Lora was very involved in many community organizations, including American Legion Auxiliary, serving in multiple officer positions, including president, VFW Auxiliary, Business & Professional Women, Austin County Extension Association, Amway, Red Cross, and 4-H. She played softball with the Sealy Sandbaggers and was a member of several bowling teams.

She also served as president of the Sealy Tiger Band Boosters several times and volunteered as an Emergency Care Attendant for the Austin County Emergency Medical Service, driving the Adam 2 unit.

Lora was known throughout the community, not only for her service in multiple organizations, but also her ceramics shop, regularly holding classes for adults and kids — and their kids — for many years.

She had three children, Michelle, Kathleen, and Timothy, but she was a mother to many, taking care of babies at the day care across the street for over 20 years. She was a second mother to many of her children’s friends and always welcomed them to her home.

She loved to go camping, traveling with Mike to 47 states. She was at her happiest cooking breakfast, making the most amazing pancakes, biscuits, bacon, toast, and coffee over an open fire.

Her favorite day of the week was Thirsty Thursday, where she could enjoy a margarita or three with friends.

Her favorite tine of the year was the holidays, which she started celebrating in October. The Christmas punch at her Open House was internationally famous. She loved to bake for the holidays, especially her coffee cake for Christmas Eve breakfast.

She will be missed for her sense of humor and her mother’s intuition, but most of all for her abundance of acceptance and love for anyone she knew.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Michael, her three children, Michelle and husband Mark Zama, Kathleen McCarthy and Pete Simons, and Timothy and wife Mischelle McCarthy; seven grandchildren, Amber and husband Samuel Aguirre, Becky Zama, Jonathan and wife Hillary Zama, Bethany Zama, Skyler McCarthy, Zoe Simons, and Annabelle Simons, five great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Edgar Kitchen, Anthony Kitchen, and Marie George.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Sealy, with the visitation beginning at noon and mass at 1:30 pm. Burial will take place at the Houston National Cemetery on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, at 11:30 am.