Family and Friends,

My family will never be able to express our gratitude towards every last one of you truly. I also want every one of you to know how much these donations helped my family get through the last several months. Please understand the past couple weeks have been hard and we overlooked sending you all the information on my mother's Celebration of Life, however, we felt the need to send the info tonight even though it is extremely last minute. 

There will also be a live stream or recording of the celebration tomorrow so I will send the video along when available.

See below for Kim Houston's Celebration of Life Details, and her sweet Obituary.

Sending all our love,
The Houston Family
 

A memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church (2111 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA) on Saturday, April 26th. Visitation begins at 10:00 AM, with the service at 11:00 AM and a reception to follow. All are welcome. Please RSVP to the attached event so the family can plan accordingly. 

Kim Kathryn Kissinger Houston was a woman of quiet strength, deep compassion, and unshakable resilience. Through every hardship life placed in her path, she chose love—fiercely, fully, and without condition. On the contrary, Kim could be a bulldog when she needed to be, or when her emotions got the best of her, just like all of us. Kim prominently led with love and kindness, teaching her children that kindness in the face of adversity is one of the most powerful legacies a person can leave behind, along with having the wisdom to know when you need to stand up for yourself. On March 24, 2025, at the age of 70, Kim’s heartfelt journey came to a peaceful close, though her love and impact will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. 

Born on April 12, 1954, in Los Angeles, California, Kim was the youngest of three children raised by Joe and Delphine Kissinger. Her father worked tirelessly in real estate, and while the family was financially comfortable, home life wasn’t picture perfect. Her father’s long hours left emotional distance, and her mother, coping with that void, often turned to alcohol. Despite the dysfunction within the home while Kim was growing up, there was an angel who would show up every day to show Kim and her siblings the love every child deserves. That angel was none other than Kim’s Grandmother, Margaret. Kim’s Grandmother instilled in her the love that would anchor her spirit and become the blueprint for the mother she would one day become. 

As a young adult, Kim turned away from the comfort of predictability and chose the path of purpose. Rather than attending college, she joined a missionary organization that led her across the country—from Oregon to South Carolina—spreading faith, forming lifelong friendships, and meeting her husband. After marriage and the birth of three children, Kim and her family made their way to Marietta, Georgia, where she gave birth to the baby of the family, Joseph. Kim settled down in Marietta and called it her home for over 45 years. 

Kim was a devoted mother of four: Melissa Houston, Christin Grand, Christopher Houston, and Joseph Houston. She was the proud Nana of five beloved grandchildren: Harrison Grand, Jackson Grand, and Emerson Grand, all of whom came early from her daughter, Christin Grand. The younger bunch, Denver and Livian Freeman, are the children of Melissa Houston. Her family was her world. She loved them with a ferocity that was expressed exactly when it needed to be—from thoughtful gifts to hard-earned wisdom to the quiet comfort of simply being there. 

Kim poured the same care and passion into her career with interior landscape design. For over 40 years, she transformed spaces with vibrant plant life, beginning in maintenance and eventually thriving in sales and design. Her work reflected her spirit—creative, nurturing, and quietly impactful. At home, she was never far from her garden, a pot of flowers, or a yard she was proud to tend. 

Her faith was intimate and personal, woven into her everyday actions more than any formal tradition. She also found healing and connection in recovery groups, where she forged friendships that stood the test of time—some who supported her through life’s toughest chapters, and some who walked beside her children with equal love. She never stopped being grateful for the people God placed in her life, and if she never got the chance to say it aloud, her spirit surely says it now: Thank you. I love you. I see you. 

Kim’s life was not easy by any means. For some inexplicable reason, she was confronted not only with the hardships of an alcoholic mother but also with a husband who struggled with addiction. Two subsequent partners faced similar battles. One can only imagine the internal toll of a lifetime spent loving those who struggled to love themselves. Yet Kim refused to let these circumstances harden her heart or rob her of her nurturing spirit. She gave all she could with the resources she had—and in doing so, offered more love than many ever will. The early teachings of unconditional love from her grandmother, along with her steadfast relationship with God, became an indestructible armor. This allowed her to share that same love in every moment she was given. In her final days, we believe she found peace, pride, and comfort in knowing that her children would carry forward the same strength, softness, and love she so generously gave them.