Raymond Henry King Jr.

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Raymond King Obituary

KING, JR.,
RAYMOND HENRY
Raymond Henry King, Jr. age 85, passed away peacefully on December 2, 2019. Raymond (Ray), was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Dr. Raymond King and Eleanor King. After graduating high school from Bolles, he attended Auburn University and later transferred to the University of Florida and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree. Raymond moved to Kingsport, Tennessee after college and worked for Eastman Kodak (later Eastman Chemical) for thirty-eight years. While in Tennessee, he also served as a volunteer fireman and EMT at Warriors Path Volunteer Fire Department for many years.
Upon retirement, he moved back to Florida, settling in Ocala and becoming a Marion County School substitute teacher and also volunteered with Marion County Senior Services for several years. Ray enjoyed gardening and tinkering with contraptions, devising numerous mini-inventions of sorts around the house, and he appreciated the outdoors and wildlife. He was particularly thrilled with his backyard pond that he recently built and maintained and spent many hours admiring nature and enjoying his frogs and fish. As an avid sports enthusiast, Ray especially enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play sports. He also appreciated humor quite a bit and was fond of jokes and participating in skits. Ray loved riddles and brain teasers, as well. He remained close friends with quite a number of his Auburn fraternity brothers and even as of this year visited them in Alabama for their reunion. He treasured God and enjoyed studying the bible and attending church. He was also an amateur historian, becoming fascinated with the history of Jacksonville, and he relished sharing what he learned with others. Regarding Jacksonville and friendships, Ray kept in close contact with several friends he originally met in elementary school and they remained friends to this day. Ray was a talented piano player and vocalist and enjoyed singing in the church choir. His children remember lying in bed at night and before nodding off, recall going to sleep with Dad quietly practicing a Chopin or Ravel piano piece in the background.
Ray was preceded in death by his first wife, Helene Tartareau King (d. 1969); and his second wife, Grayce Stewart King (d. 2003).
He is survived by a sister, Kathryn (Kay) Conoly; and his six children, Sylvie Diane Parris, John Alan King, Melodie King Rasnake, James Wayne King, David Andrew King, and Steven Michael King; as well as thirteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Ray (Dad) was a compassionate, caring, and patient father, and his children never suffered for want of anything. He was a selfless man and went without so that others could have. He cherished his friends and his family, and the world is a bit less cheery and interesting with his passing. The family wishes to express a special thanks to Kindred Hospice of Ocala, and in particular to the Marion County Hospice Legacy House for the care and attention provided to our dad. You will be missed Daddy.

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Published by Ocala Star-Banner from Dec. 6 to Dec. 7, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Raymond King

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5 Entries

Sheila Blalock

January 2, 2020

Kay, I am so sorry. You have talked with me about your brother and I could tell that you love him dearly. Reading the obit I hate that I never got the pleasure to know him. God Speed.

Anita Bausman

December 10, 2019

Ray was the HVAC expert in the group I hired into at Eastman, another young mechanical engineer he brought up to speed. A group of us were talking about new (desktop computer) vs. old (slide rule) methods. I made the comment that I'd never held a slide rule, much less used it. Ray went "Hmmph!" and walked to his office. Came back and had me hold out my hand. He slapped his slide rule into my hand. "There! Now you've held one!" A fond memory. Ray was a great person and a natural teacher. He is missed.

Ralph Young

December 9, 2019

I worked around Ray for many years at Eastman. He helped me on many Hvac issues on electrical substations. He was a pleasure to work with.

Wendy Lick

December 9, 2019

I was one of many new-fledged engineers at Eastman who had the privilege and advantage of learning from Ray's vast storehouse of knowledge and experience. Ray loved to teach, and would hold training sessions on a wide variety of topics. I kept the notes and handouts from those 1990-era classes until a few years ago when that folder didn't make it through an office move. To say I learned a lot from Ray would be a gross understatement.

After his retirement and move to Florida, he kept in touch, and I have been entertained by his hilarious emails. He even dropped by for a visit once, and had my kids call him Uncle Ray even though they had just met. Great guy, and the world will be a duller place without him.

Barry Allison

December 7, 2019

I was a young neighbor of the King family in the 1960's when they lived in Kingsport. At that time, the neighborhood was a very "Ozzie and Harriet" sort of place, and we found the Kings to be rather exotic, being that Mrs. King (Helene) was a native of France. I always enjoyed speaking with her, and even picked up a few French phrases, which I would occasionally try out on Sylvie as we all played in the adjoining yards. I recall Ray driving me to my piano lesson on several occasions, as a favor to my mother, having no idea he was a musician himself. I'm impressed with the very large family that Ray raised up, and I wish God's blessings on them all as they endure the loss of their patriarch. May they find peace.

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