Bill King

Bill King Jr., age 86, died September 19, 2021, at home, with family by his side. Visitation will be held at Potts Funeral Home Friday, September 24 at 12:30, with funeral services following at 2:00.

Bill is survived by his wife, Dolly; his daughter Susan (Tim) Marchant and daughter-in-law Julie King of Independence, and his son Steven (Michelle Bolton) King of West Des Moines, Iowa; grandchildren Justin Winkler (Jay); Connor, Cooper, Gracie, and Carter King; Nora and Gabriel King; great-grandchildren Kayli, Cass, Ethan and Jackson Winkler; stepchildren Ted (Michele), Tom (Melinda), Toby (Barbara) Cook and Traci (Tom) Posch and their families; as well nephews, nieces, and many friends. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Fairrell Waneve Trammell and Mary Elizabeth Adams; wife Carole Jo Staubus, to whom he was married from 1964 until her death in 1996; and son William Samuel King, who died in 2020.

Bill was born July 24, 1935, to Bill and Vera Bryant King, north of Muldrow, Oklahoma. He attended high school in Noble, and received a Bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma City University, and Master’s and EdS degrees from Pittsburg State University. He taught in Goodman, Missouri, and Eureka, Kansas, before coming to Kansas USD 446 in Independence, where he taught fifth grade for 23 years at Washington School. Upon retirement from teaching, Bill bought a farm and raised Angus and Brangus livestock for 20 years.

Bill was active in the community, regularly meeting friends for coffee or meals, discussing the news of the day. Bill had a singular sense of humor and was known to be a bit stubborn. He coached little league baseball and basketball, and later enjoyed attending—or at least trying to keep track of—his many grandkids’ and great-grandkids’ activities. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Independence, and for many years belonged to the local Kiwanis Club, serving for a time as president. Bill also had a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit, exercising his business acumen through a wide variety of ventures: fireworks stands, cutting trees and mowing lawns, Gallup polling, and renting properties, to name a few.

Memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church in Independence.