James King

Jan. 06, 1931 – July 30, 2020 Mr. James A. King, 89, passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2020. He was born on January 06, 1931 to Bessie Butler King and Numa Archie King in Rockingham County and was the oldest of two children. In addition to his parents and brother, he was also preceded in death by his loving wife, Betty King and son, Sam King (Mary). Surviving are his daughter Kim K. Long (Kim) of Harrisburg; four grandchildren, Wendy K. Elder (Michael), Ashley K. Bahor (Ned), Matthew Long, and Joseph Long; three great grandchildren, Samantha Elder, David Elder, and Caroline Bahor. Jim was a member of Ardmore United Methodist Church where he attended services for as long as he was able.

Through the years he served as a dedicated member of his community.  He owned and operated Northside Amoco, J.A. King Exxon, Reynolda Manor Amoco, and Sherwood Texaco until his retirement.  He earned the title of Master Mason with Salem Lodge 289 with past memberships in the Scottish Rite and York Rite.  He was awarded the Diamond Jubilee for 60 years of service to the Masons.  He had a lifetime membership to the Oasis Temple and dedicated himself to 33 years of being an Oasis clown (Mr. Clean) where he also served as Captain of the Clown Unit.   One of his fondest memories was representing the Oasis Temple in the 1994 New Year’s Day Parade in London, England.

His children and grandchildren remember him as a generous, happy and loving man who showed them how to appreciate the many blessings life can bring. He gained great pleasure in learning what his family was doing and accomplishing. He enjoyed life and had a desire to experience and see as much of it as possible. Traveling was one of his passions and this was evident by the many trips he took with his family. He enjoyed boating and took many trips down the Intercostal Waterway. He loved driving his motor home and was a member of the HHRVC (Holiday Rambler RV Club). He traveled across the U.S. multiple times and has visited all 50 states as well as Canada and Mexico. He also enjoyed square dancing for many years and was a member of Twin City Twirlers. His final joy was spending time at the beach.

His motto was ‘If I can make you laugh, I have done my job”. He will be missed by all.

A funeral service will be held at Ardmore United Methodist Church on Friday, August 7, 2020 at 2:00PM for immediate family and invited guests.  Due to COVID19 capacity restrictions the service will be available via live stream at https://www.facebook.com/pg/ArdmoreUnitedMethodistChurch/videos/?ref=page_internal.  Interment will follow at Forsyth Memorial Park.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.