Travis Fitton Kinch

Travis Fitton Kinch, native and lifelong resident of Hamilton, mother and wife, athlete, teacher, and coach, endearing writer and always loyal friend, died on Sunday, February 26. She was surrounded by family, and her end was peaceful. She published details of her year-long battle with cancer in a CaringBridge weblog whose hundreds of readers loved her candor and her courage. Travis Jackson Fitton was born on July 8, 1959, the youngest child of Donald Webb Fitton, Jr., and Claire Jackson Fitton. She showed her athletic gifts early as a member of the Adams Elementary unicycle team and most spectacularly as a very gifted and daring diver from the 3-meter board. She swam for teams at the New London Hills Club, the Fairfield YMCA, and Taft High School and continued diving through her years at Miami University. She later coached diving at New London and in some years directed swimming and tennis programs there. At Miami, Travis earned a BA in English and MA in exercise physiology. Her specialty as an exercise teacher was in working with senior citizens; she was completely devoted to her clients at Westover and Berkeley Square, who loved her in return. Travis dedicated herself wholly in jobs and in community work: she was president of Chapter BR of P.E.O., sat on the board of the Colonial Senior Services, past president of Hamilton City Tennis Association, and board member of the American Heart Association. After college, Travis became a very competitive tennis player, and she played team tennis and competed successfully in club tournaments for many years. While she was playing in a men's game, her future husband, Gregory Alan Kinch, spotted her and arranged an introduction. She directed a number of local tournaments, traveled as an umpire for college tennis tournaments, and coached tennis at Miami University Hamilton, and she was a very enthusiastic supporter of her daughters' volleyball and swim teams. Travis loved music and constantly sang or whistled along; throughout the 1980s and 90s her hands and feet were in motion as she considered tunes she heard for moves in her aerobics classes. She was a prolific letter-writer and stayed close with friends from childhood and college years. She loved cats and dogs, especially her standard poodles, Zulu, Zoe, and Boomer. Many people will remember occasions when Travis spoke up to right a wrong. Travis and Greg married in 1990 and have three daughters: Sinclair Margaret Kinch, Hannah Fitton Kinch, and Georgia Emily Kinch. Besides her mother, Travis leaves her dear mother-in-law, Peg Kinch; sister and brother-in-law Emily and Jim Fuhrman, who were especially close to her, along with their children Jamie Fuhrman Binegar (and her husband Joe) and Cy Fuhrman; sister Nancy Vaden Fitton and her partner Ginger Swope; brother Donald Webb Fitton III, wife Roberta, and children Camilla, Victoria, and Don; a host of cousins and other relatives; and many, many friends. Travis's family is deeply grateful for the constant support that her friends have shown in so many ways, and especially for her community's messages of love and prayers on the weblog: Travis read and cherished every one of them and knew that she was loved. Memorial services will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 225 Ludlow Street, on Friday, March 2, at 11 a.m., with Rev. Peggy Garrison and Dr. John Lewis officiating. A visitation will be held Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Weigel Funeral Home, 980 N.W. Washington Blvd. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Travis Fitton Kinch fund at the Hamilton Community Foundation, 319 North Third Street, Hamilton, OH 45011, in her memory.

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Travis Fitton Kinch

February 26, 2012