Richard Calvin King Jr.

Richard Calvin King Jr. passed away on May 10, 2025, at the age of 57. He was a man who considered many places home. A resident of Littlestown, PA, he always kept a special place in his heart for Big Woods Road and his hometown of Dickerson, MD, while his soul belonged on the open highway.

While he left this world much too soon, he lived a life that was truly full. Full of laughter, passion, dancing, driving and, above all else, love. Born in Shady Grove Hospital on September 21, 1967, he was the second youngest out of five siblings, although he would more likely have identified as the oldest son, with three older sisters and one younger brother. Even more likely, he would refer to himself as the self-appointed "clear favorite" foregoing the mention of birth order altogether. A member of the Poolesville High School class of 1986, he left school ready to dive into the workforce, starting with a job on the Savage Dairy Farm. His passion for driving soon took him into the trash industry, driving rear-load and roll-off trucks, as well as dump truck work. He alternated between these two industries over many years. It was during this time that he became a father to his own four children, what he'd likely consider the most important and meaningful job of his lifetime. In 1999 he started driving for Tumbleweed Express, and a year later purchased his own truck, a 1997 Kenworth, and continued on leased to Tumbleweed for 15 years until he proudly started his own business, R.C. King & Sons LLC in June 2014. Shortly after, he began hauling for Warwick Enterprises. At this time, he met the love of his life, the woman he had prayed for, Anissa. They proved the age old saying, "when you know, you know", because he knew from that first introduction at their mutual friend, Nelson's, cookout that he had found his other half. Wasting as little time as possible, he proposed in May of 2015, and they were married on August 14, 2015. The majority of his social media posts, typically more legible to their readers when he remembered to put his reading glasses on prior to writing, had a clear and common message, he loved his beautiful wife and his family above all else. In 2017, he was joined in the family business by his son, Richard III (RJ), officially putting the "son" in R.C. King & Sons, when the business became a partnership. He then bought his beloved blue Kenworth and became a staple of the trucking community. Much of his time driving down the road was spent on the phone with his daughters, son or anyone who needed a listening ear and sound advice, as he was always only a phone call away and could be counted on for anything they might need.

While Richard was serious in his devotion to his family and his passion for his work, he balanced this with an exuberance and boyish goofiness that endeared him to everyone he met. To the chagrin of his son and the business financials, he chose his truck stops based on the people he'd run into there and not where he could get the best price for fuel, spending countless hours chatting away with the employees and his fellow truckers. He took the title of life of the party seriously. No dance floor was safe, empty or full you could find him shaking his hips, singing loudly, with a grin that took up his entire face. And he was taking you with him if you let him. Just ask any attendee of the annual Warwick Christmas party, over the years he became infamous as the one who could get the party started and the dance floor full. While he was often starting the fun, he was not hard to coax into a good time. The simple phrase of "try this" or a new bottle of moonshine from his kids could lead to a night of pure hilarity. His love of fun extended to his time with his grandchildren, who could count on Pop and Gigi's house as a haven of safety and joy. His passion for life extended into his hobbies as well, and he was a respected member of the Thunder Guards Motorcycle Club, a Deacon at the Hosanna Community Church, and could be found often in his shop working on his 1964 Chevy II. Yet, if his life needed to be boiled down to the heart of it all, it would always come back to his undying love for his family.

He is pre-deceased by his namesake and father, Richard C. King Sr. He leaves behind his cherished mother, Jo Ann, and beloved wife, Anissa, as well as their hoard of children and grandchildren, his siblings and his nieces and nephews. He was proud father to Lauren, Richard III (Samantha), Leanne (Vante), Kasinda (Danny), Azya, Sasha and Shawn. He adored his role as Pop to Aiden, Evan, Evalyn, Michael, Amara, Naomi, Elaina, Rilynn, Khálayla, King, Zeke, Calvin, Reagan and Brayden, and could often be found bragging about the sheer number and general brilliance of his own little army. Left with decades of fond memories that were cut too short are his siblings Rem (John), Richlyn (Ron), Rochele, and Ryan (Maria), and 13 nieces and nephews he held dear to his heart.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his memory to Andrea's House.