- Date Of Birth: June 29, 1915
- Date Of Death: December 6, 2006
- State: Michigan
Edward P. King went to his heavenly Home, from his home, on Wednesday, December 06, 2006.
He was born on June 29, 1915, to Peter and Josephine Borden King. He grew up in Chicago during the “Roaring Twenties” and the Al Capone era. Mr. King worked as a steam locomotive machinist for the Florida East Coast Railroad during the 1930s, through and past World War II. Later he would work as a maintenance or assembly welder for Elgin Milk Company, in Galien, Michigan, Clark Equipment Company, Central Pipe and Steel Company, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Three Oaks Machine Shop.
He retired from Buchanan Steel Forge Company, Buchanan, Michigan. In 1948 he married Marie Portinga, of Three Oaks, Michigan. A son, James Edward, was born in 1953. During his lifetime, Mr. King realized the fulfillment of living out experiences with his three great passions: trains, planes, and paintings. He railroaded during the steam era and left the railroad when diesel locomotives were being introduced in the late 1940s.
In the early 1950’s he owned and flew a Piper J3 Cub airplane from the Niles airport; even one time surviving unscathed a crash landing, along with his wife. He enjoyed doing landscape paintings in the French Impressionist style.
Mr. King will be remembered for his kind and gentle nature, his intelligent wit and unique sayings, his incredible memory, and his loquacious storytelling. He was perpetually “young at heart”. He was a great complimentor of others, with literally nothing bad to say about anyone.
Mr. King was preceded in death by his wife, Marie, who died in 1980. He is survived by his son, James, who is Associate Pastor at Living Way Foursquare Church in New Buffalo, Michigan. From his wife’s family, he is survived by many nieces and nephews, including a number of great and great great nieces and nephews.
