Preston "Bud" King

KING, Preston "Bud" Preston Coldwell King, "Bud" to all who knew him, died Monday (October 1, 2007), at Seabury Health Care Center in Bloomfield. The son of the late Lloyd and Mildred King, Bud grew up in Millis, MA and attended the University of Connecticut from 1942 to 1943. During World War II, Bud served in the Army Air Corps as a radio operator on B-29 Bombers. After the war, he returned to UConn where he was President of the Student Body, graduating in 1949. After earning a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Wharton School, he became the assistant town manager in Brunswick, ME in 1950. In October, 1950 Bud married Lois Johnson, whom he had met at UConn. From 1951 to 1953, he served as the town manager of Boothbay, ME. In 1953 Bud became town manager of Bloomfield, a position he held for 17 years. During his tenure Bloomfield grew from a small town of dairy and tobacco farms to the much larger and more diverse community it is today. In the late 60's Bud worked on redevelopment of Bloomfield's downtown area, restoring the town green and working to erect the Drummer Boy Statue which now stands in the center of town. In 1970 Bud joined the Connecticut Banker's Association, where he worked for 21 years, from 1970 to 1991, serving most of those years as its president. During this time he also taught at the Williams College School of Banking. In 1972 Bud received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Connecticut, and in 1974 he was elected an Honorary Life member of the University of Connecticut Foundation. Bud was a deacon and longtime member of the First Congregational Church in Bloomfield. Bud was known as a man of great humor and heart. Committed to social justice in this country, he worked to provide opportunities for others. A lifelong Red Sox fan and humorous storyteller, Bud also loved to garden, to dance, and to travel with Lois. He is survived by his four children, Deborah King, of Boulder, CO; Jonathon King and his wife Alexandra of Chapel Hill, NC; Susan King and her husband Jack Sanderson of Acton, MA; and Betsy and Ned Cahoon, of Groton MA. As well as by ten grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Roma Curran, of Millis, MA. He was predeceased by Lois, his beloved wife of fifty years, his brother, Stuart King, and his granddaughter, Abigail Cahoon. Visiting Hours will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on Friday at the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave, Windsor. Funeral services will be held Saturday October 6, at 10 a.m. at The First Congregational Church, 10 Wintonbury Avenue, Bloomfield, with the Reverend Deborah Blood officiating. Reception for family and friends will follow at the Bloomfield Community Center, 330 Park Ave. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery, Old Saybrook at 3 p.m. Memorial Donations may be made to The Red Sox Foundation (including the Jimmy Fund), 4 Yawkey Way, Boston, MA 02215 or to The UConn Alumni Association, attention: Jodi Kaplan, UCAA, Alumni Drive - Unit 3053, Storrs, CT 06269.