John C. King, 70, of Morgantown, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019.
He was preceded by his parents, Charles and Elizabeth King.
He is survived by his wife, Edith King; his daughters, Catriona and Deirdre King, of Denmark; and his brother, Jim King. He will also be missed by his step-children, Jennifer Powell, and her children, Eli and Nathan, Rachel Martin and her fiancé, Glenn Geho, Jonathan Martin, David Martin and Angela Majumdar and her husband, Abir. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Victoria, Jet and Dio; his ex-wife, Suzanne King; two nieces, Christina and Hilary; various friends; and two strange felines.
Born in the Panama Canal Zone, John was raised in Annapolis, Md., and graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in anthropology and Russian history. Before college, he trekked extensively through Europe.
After college, while living in Canada, he met and married his first wife, Suzanne, and they moved to her native Denmark and had two daughters. Later in life, John moved to Wadestown, before meeting Edith in Morgantown. They made their home in Morgantown for 26 years, loving each other through many challenges and joys.
He loved learning. Some of John’s best friends were books: He read voraciously and loved learning. He particularly enjoyed mysteries and history, through nonfiction and historical novels.
He also had a knack for learning languages. He spoke Danish fluently, and he picked up Gaelic and Irish, as well as conversational bits of a few others, during his travels.
John was stubborn and detail-oriented — so he fit in with those who loved him. He was a loving man who cared deeply for his family. He always regretted not being able to spend more time with his family, an ocean away. He will be sorely missed.
Friends may join the family to honor John’s life and legacy at Morgantown Church of the Brethren, 464 Virginia Ave., Morgantown, from
6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, and from 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, until the time of the funeral service at 11 a.m. Following the funeral service, and in accordance with John’s request, he will be cremated, and inurnment will be held at a later date in the Oxford Cemetery in Easton, Md., with his parents.
In lieu of flowers, John would want you to instead make a contribution to your own favorite charity.
Professional services are being provided to the family with the guidance of Smith Funeral & Cremation Care of Westover / Morgantown.
Condolences:
smithfcc.com
