ALLEN, TEXAS. Richard Lee King, age 92, passed away peacefully early Sunday morning, October 20, 2019, at his home in Allen, TX, after suffering a stroke during the early morning of October 15. Richard was born in the Sunnyside community of Floresville, Texas on September 4, 1927, the eldest child of Richard Leslie King and Cora Ella Reed King. His mother died when he was five years old and he then lived nearby with his grandparents, William A and Ida Reed. A WWII veteran, he enlisted in the Navy at 17 years old and spent several years in the South Pacific. Richard returned home to Floresville and then moved to Houston where he met his “worthy woman” Sarah Pauline Hawks and they married shortly after in October, 1951. He found work at Ethyl Corporation as a pipefitter and then moved to Deer Park where they raised their four children. He retired from Ethyl/Albemarle in 1982 and then built their retirement home on his farm in Centerville, TX where they lived for 30 years. They moved to McKinney in 2008 and then to Allen in 2017.
Richard was known for three loves: the church, historical records, and hunting. He became a deacon at the Red Bluff church of Christ in Pasadena, and then served as an elder at the College Park church of Christ in Deer Park, and later the Centerville church of Christ. He was an active member of the West Allen church of Christ in his final years. Richard was a staunch supporter of the truth, reached out to many souls to teach the Gospel, and was an example as a faithful servant of God. His spiritual legacy reaches far and wide. His loyalty to his family in Christ, his earthly family, and his friends was unsurpassed. Loving the outdoors, Richard was a big game hunter and spent many years in Colorado and Texas with his close friends enjoying that pursuit. Richard always had a project, collecting artifacts, arrowheads, and fossils, researching Civil War and Texas history, and was a member of several genealogical and archaeological societies. His last project was to help restore the 1881 Leon County courthouse in Centerville by soliciting the funding that allowed the project to be completed. As an outdoorsman, a historian, a personal friend, a family man, and most importantly a Christian, he stood tall.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, and five brothers, and a great-granddaughter. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sarah Pauline King, his children Janet Moody and husband Wayne, Susan Locklear, Jerry King and wife Amy, and Boyd King and wife Marilu. He is also survived by his grandchildren Jonathan Moody, Elizabeth Moody and husband Scott, Jake Locklear and wife Missy, Tim Locklear and wife Lynnsey, Monica Swartzmiller and husband Neal, Matthew King and wife Tia, Melissa Roskos and husband Alan, Ryan King and wife Alyssa, Blake King, and Megan King, and twelve great-grandchildren, three sisters, and five brothers.
Services will be graveside only at Mount Tabor Cemetery in Madisonville, TX on Saturday, November 2, at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sacred Selections (sacredselections.org) and Anchor of Hope Hospice in Plano, TX.
