Alan Merrill King

1950 - 2024

Alan Merrill King passed away on April 12, 2024,  at Willow Tree Care Center.  He was 73 years old.  Celebration of Life services will be held June 21, 2024 at 10 a.m. at Taylor Funeral Service in Delta, Colorado. 

Alan was born on September 11, 1950, in Logansport, IN to Robert Merrill and Phyllis Isabelle King (Brust). He grew up in Walkerton, IN and graduated from John Glenn High School in 1968. He continued his education at Purdue University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Arts Education. 

Alan moved to Craig, CO in 1976 from Indiana where he worked for Colorado Ute Power and enjoyed all of the west's outdoor adventures including rafting, hunting, camping, and horses.  He moved to Delta, CO in 1989 to begin a career in Financial Advising. In 2002, he opened a branch of Raymond James Financial Services, which he retired from in 2016. 

Alan always worked to live, rather than live to work. He enjoyed working with draft horses, tools, and antique farm equipment. The Amish culture always held a special place in his heart and he liked to travel to their farms and towns to study their practices.

Alan was always ready with a witty piece of advice or piece of humor to lighten the mood. Here are some of his more memorable sayings:

"Life is full of choices that you make and have to live with."

When loading anything - "Rig for a Flip." 

"Measure twice and cut once."

"Put it back where you found it."

"The worst beer that I ever had was MAGNIFICENT!"

"Yes, but how much of that can you control?"

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding" - Proverbs 3:5.

He is survived by his wife Carlene; two sons, Tobias King, his wife Rachael, their children Katharine, Tyler, Sarah, and Olivia; Andrew King, his wife Lyndsey, their children Daphne and Calvin; their mother Phyllis Ann; and his brothers George and Scott.       

He was preceded in death by his parents Robert Merrill King and Phyllis Isabelle Knorr (Brust-King).