Francis Eugene King

FRANCIS EUGENE KING

Cedar Rapids

Francis Eugene King was born on Aug. 22, 1928, in Cedar Rapids Iowa, the fifth child of Effie (Mc Arthur) and William O. King. He was a lifelong citizen of Cedar Rapids and passed away on May 16, 2021, at the age of 92.

Francis is survived by his wife, Betty; their three children, Brad (Denise), Jay and Denise (Dan) King Filip; three grandchildren, Scott (Katie) King, Renae (Andrew) Brue and Leah (Nolan) Hershey; and seven great-grandchildren.

Francis was preceded in death by six siblings, William, Frank, Wilhemina, Curtis, Helen and Edward.

Francis served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, spending 18 months in Okinawa, Japan. Upon return from the service he began working at Northwestern Bell, a career lasting 33 years, retiring in 1986. One of his accomplishments at Northwestern Bell was helping to install the first ATM in Cedar Rapids. He began selling Whites Metal Detectors in 1975 as a part-time business called Kings Treasures. Following his retirement from Northwestern Bell, he started his own business, Telephone Connections, which he ran for almost 10 years.

Francis was an active member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids for over 59 years. He also belonged to the Cedar Valley Research & Retrieve Metal Detecting Club, and was a member of the CWA Union and the Telephone Pioneers. Memorials can be directed to St. Mark's United Methodist Church or a charity of the donor's choice.

Visitation for Francis is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 21, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home and a half hour before the service at St Mark's United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 22. Service begins at 11:30 a.m. A light lunch will be served after the service. A graveside service with military honors with family at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Please leave a message or tribute to the King family on our web page, www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.