William R. King

1932 - 2026

It is with sadness to announce that on January 2, 2026, William Richard King, of Princeton, MN, was called home to be with the Lord after a lifetime of touching the lives of all those he met with his humor, warmth, optimism, and generosity.

Born on April 8, 1932, in Minneapolis, MN, to Ralph and Ella (Nordstrom) King, he was called Willy (or "Villy") by his Scandinavian aunts, but later went by Bill.

The Celebration of Life Service will be held at New Life Church in Princeton on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 11am, with a viewing at 10am.

His daughters knew of his early years in South Minneapolis through his stories of pranks. After graduating from South High School in Minneapolis, Bill served in the army for three years during the Korean Conflict, stationed in Japan. Returning to Minneapolis, he began courting Evelyn Hultquist, a courtship that continued long-distance while Bill studied theology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA (formerly called Southern Bible College). They married on August 20, 1955, in Redwood Falls, MN and traveled back to California where Bill earned his Bachelor's Degree from Vanguard. He went on to complete resident study toward a Master's Degree at San Francisco State University.

Bill's dedication and commitment to ministry were a hallmark of his 31 years as pastor of the Assembly of God churches where he served; Pillager, Cambridge, Slayton, Princeton, and Fergus Falls, and later as church staff in Superior, WI and in Elk River, MN. He often invited church visitors over for Sunday dinner on the spur of the moment, and Evelyn would put a large roast in the oven on Sunday mornings, just in case. After five-and-a-half years as a part-time pastor at the Glendorado Evangelical Country Church, he retired from pastoring at age 70, though he continued to lead Bible studies and was often invited to lead services in nursing homes and other locations. His final wish is to see all of you in Heaven.

Another way that Bill connected with others was through music, which played an important role in both his life and his ministry, particularly "tickling the ivory" as he often called it. He excelled on the clarinet as well, and always enjoyed playing and singing hymns with others, even recording an album as part of a quartet while at Vanguard University.

He enjoyed travel and every couple of years would load up the car with tents, sleeping bags, and suitcases and take the family on various trips around the country, stopping at National Parks and historic sites and visiting friends and relatives along the way.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, James.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; sister, Dorothy (Lester) Kringle; his daughters, Renee (Steve) Haken, Valerie (Gary) Lauterbach, Donna Streeter, and Rhoda (Dale) Azevedo; grandchildren, David (Liz) Haken, Brian (Mariah) Haken, Michael (Kendra) Haken, Hanna, Helen, and Eric Lauterbach, Rachel Streeter, Stephanie (Ian) Hyland, Michael (Emily) Azevedo, and Meagan (Josh) Carstensen; and great-grandchildren, Philip, Andrew, and Molly Haken, Iris, Celeste, and Sabrina Haken, Rosemary Haken, Eliana Hyland, and Charlotte, Whitney, and Penelope Carstensen.

For those interested in making donations in his name, contributions may be made to New Life Church, specifying the Youth Group.