Kevin King

King, Kevin
Neil

Kevin Neil King, a spirited collector of art, moments and stories with a flair for the absurd, died at home in San Francisco surrounded by all that he loved. He was 64. For almost three years he beat back brain cancer with courage and humility.

Born in Boulder as the second of five children, Kevin continued in a long line of artists, including his mother Gretchen and his lawyer/watercolorist father Neil. Kevin's grandfather Edward King was the longtime dean of the University of Colorado Law School.

Kevin was a rambunctious connoisseur of all that Colorado had to offer. Snowy mornings often found him flying off the old ski jump at Boulder's Chautauqua Mesa. He got a ticket once for speeding down a mountain pass near Steamboat. On a skateboard. He earned the envy of other parents when he hand-dug an enormous hole for a swimming pool in the family backyard. He liked to clamor to the top of Flagstaff most mornings at sunup during trips home to see his folks.

All benefited from his unusual way of seeing and participating in the world. He disdained conventional paths of all kinds-career, forest, ski slope-in favor of the precipitous bushwhack. It might be scary to follow him, but you were always glad you did.

Kevin loved the world-its cold lakes, steep ravines, quirky people-and it loved him back. He excelled at visual pranks and specialized in hiding things in plain sight, often high atop trees or rooftops. His keen eye and talent as a builder found purchase in the early 1990's when friends asked him to join a California men's club known for its woodsy theatrical performances, where he designed many a set.

Kevin saw and heard much that others missed or ignored. This gift, plus his curiosity about the world beyond himself, led him to collect works of art from many underappreciated contemporary artists, musicians, and writers. He often augmented these works with found objects and creations of his own.

Kevin met his lifelong companion and wife, Meridee Moore, on the CU hockey rink when both were 19. They believed the key to a good marriage is to remember to play together. They surrounded their daughters, Eve, Isabel and Amelia, with art, music and sports. He inspired them by example to pursue their passions, and each day encouraged them to "do their regular good stuff."

He graduated from Boulder High School, Class of 1975, where he was played basketball on a series of stellar teams that decade. He earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of Colorado and a MA in interior design from Parsons School of Design in New York.

Kevin will long be remembered and revered by his wife and children; by his mother Gretchen King, his sister Shannon Bracht, his brothers Neil Jr., Ross and Jeff King; and by his three grandchildren, Jonah, Naomi and Desmond Edwards. Remembrances in lieu of flowers can be sent to San Francisco's Grabhorn Institute and UCSF Brain Tumor Center.