Obituary
WILLIAM DAVID KING, JR.
December 19, 1943 – September 16, 2024
William D. King, Jr, 80, of Lady Lake, FL passed away peacefully with his wife of 41 years and all of his children by his side after a long 10 year battle with Alzheimers.
He was born in Freeport, NY in 1943 to William D King and Mildred Swensen King. He spent a year of school in Naples, Italy before attending Long Beach High School. He then joined the United States Air Force, stationed in Plattsburgh, NY where he met his first wife (Anne) and had two children, Tamara and Sheila.
Bill met the love of his life, Kathleen Munroe King in 1981. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married August 6, 1983 in the Point Lookout Community Church. Together they shared an immense love of travel. They spent their honeymoon camping in pup tents for six weeks throughout the National Parks. They even recreated this trip with three of their children later on. Through their 41 years of marriage, they traveled all over including up and down the entire East Coast of North America from Nova Scotia all the way to Key West. They explored the West throughout the years with memorable stops in Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Grand Canyon and the coast of California. Bill and Kathy explored Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Amsterdam and Italy. They spent their summers and winter trips bringing their children to their special place at Eagle Lake in the Poconos.
Bill was passionate about his calling to public service. He was a volunteer firefighter and Captain of the Point Lookout Lido Fire Dept. He joined the FDNY as a firefighter and became a NYC Fire Marshall. During his time in the FDNY, Bill was honored with the Brooklyn Citizen Award and Hero of the Month for the NY Daily News in 1989 for his bravery in the rescue of a family. Bill saw their building in flames while chauffeuring to another call. He entered the dwelling on his own without any turnout gear and pulled all the family members from the fire including a wheelchair bound grandfather, his wife and their six year old grandson. After retiring from the FDNY, Bill continued his public service by working for the US Customs and Border Protection at JFK airport. Even during this time, he still took part in the recovery effort in the aftermath of 9/11. He retired from CBP at age 70.
Everyone who knew Bill knew how much he loved and excelled at playing Darts. He shared this with his entire family. He participated in US Opens in DC and Manhattan with his brothers and father. He even played against his future sister-in-law, thus leading to the eventual meeting of his wife, Kathy.
Bill will always be remembered for his great sense of humor and the way that he brought light to every room. We will always imagine hearing him say “It’s good to be the King” one more time. We could not have asked for a better husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. We will miss him and his smile, and the sparkle in his eye every day. His memory will live on eternally in the hearts of all those who knew him.
Bill is survived by his wife Kathleen and his five children, Tamara Wilken, Sheila King, Billy King (Elyssa), Brendan King (Kimberly) and Dawn Frawley (Patrick); his seven grandchildren, Monique McCabe, Nicholas Wilken, Amanda Wilken, Brooke King, Aubrey King, Reagan King and Patrick Frawley Jr and his two great grandchildren, Lara and Landon McCabe. He is also survived by his two brothers Barry King (Jeanne) and Kevin King (Annette); sister in law Linda Stanziola and brother in law Robert Munroe (JoAnne); along with his eight nieces and nephews and fourteen great nieces and nephews.
There will be a Celebration of Life to honor Bill’s life at a future date on Long Island, NY, where he lived the majority of his life. Arrangements entrusted with BALDWIN BROTHERS Funeral & Cremation Society-Spanish Springs, 352-340-1449. Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com.
Miss you always
Love,
Cassie