Robert J. King

January 6, 1931 — May 5, 2024

St. Charles, Missouri

Robert J. King, "Bob" to his friends and "Poppo" to his family, passed away Sunday, May 5 with his wife of 61 years and me, his daughter, by his side. My dad and his twin brother Dick were the youngest of eight siblings. He attended a one room school until his high school years and joined the service right after graduating. He absolutely loved being a flight engineer in the Airforce and talked about flying right to the end. His service to our country also included time in the Airforce and Navy Reserves, as well as many years of service with Army Aviation as a civilian. He hunted and fished avidly but was a great girl-dad... teaching me to play baseball, listening to hours of piano practice, and building a lute with me in his workshop for a 5^th grade project. He loved animals, and his dogs and even a pet rabbit received the best possible care. It's hard to express what we've lost in losing our Poppo, but I'll try with this short story: when my (at the time) four-year-old son misbehaved at dinner – and kept doing so after a warning – I declared he would get no dessert. The rest of us received some cake, but then I noticed my dad sitting at the head of the table staring balefully at his portion with tears in his eyes. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he couldn't eat his dessert thinking of his grandson going without cake. That's what it was like to be loved by my dad. He wanted you to have everything you wanted no matter what. When you got sick, he would feel sick, too. He loved you completely and even irrationally, with no pretense. If my dad loved you, you knew it... and you knew he'd always be in your corner. His wife Jo King, his daughter Susan, and his two grandchildren Graham and Violet Edmonson and many close friends were lucky enough to be loved like that. And we loved him right back, as I would always tell him "every minute of every day, never taking a break -- not even for one second."

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Wounded Warriors or Veteran's Community Project in Bob's name.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert J. King, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Graveside Service

Monday, May 13, 2024

Starts at 10:00 am (Central time)

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

2900 Sheridan Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125

Please meet at Sylvan Springs park on Sheridan Rd. to process to Jefferson Barracks

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