Roll Call Tribute

Kenneth W. King
May 3, 1938 - August 11, 2022

Kenneth Warren King passed away unexpectedly on August 11, 2022 in the Dominican Republic. He was born in Seguin, Texas on May 3, 1938 to George Leonard King and Nellie Ethel (DeLany) King. He was the youngest of four children, growing up in Seguin with his older siblings George Henry, Donald Key, and Mary Ann.

Ken attended Seguin High School where he was an active member of the civil air patrol. After graduating high school in 1956, Ken carried on the family tradition of attending Texas A&M University, becoming the fourth member of his family to become a Fightin’ Texas Aggie.

Ken attended Texas A&M University from 1956 to 1960 and belonged to the Corps of Cadets, Quartermaster Company — the mascot company — which had the privilege and responsibility of being the caretakers of the beloved Aggie mascot, Reveille. During Ken’s senior year, Quartermaster Company became Company E-2 and continued to be the mascot company. Perhaps the most important moment during his A&M years was meeting his wife, Adrienne Bernice Wille, the summer before his senior year.

After graduating with a degree in Marketing, he served six months of active duty in the Army in Fort Lee, Virginia. Upon returning to Texas he proposed to the love of his life — marrying Adrienne on September 9, 1961. September 2022 would have marked their 61st wedding anniversary.

Two weeks after returning from their honeymoon in New Orleans, Ken and Adrienne moved to Dallas, where Ken joined the Department of Agriculture and Adrienne worked for the Small Business Administration. After a year, they moved back to San Antonio where he began his 35-year career with Randolph Air Force Base as a Programmer and Systems Analyst. He began his career working with Air Training Command and then eventually transferred to the Air Force Military Personnel Center.

All the while, Ken actively served in the U.S. Army Reserve 321st Civil Affairs Brigade. In 1990, after 33 years of service, he retired as a Colonel. Six years later, in 1996, Ken retired from Randolph Air Force Base.

Although twice retired, Ken was as active as ever. He enjoyed attending monthly breakfasts with his fellow retirees from Randolph Air Force Base and serving the St. Matthew’s Catholic Church community in innumerable ways — parish council, President of the Men’s Club, and longtime eucharistic minister. He was also an active member of the San Antonio A&M Club, and served a three-year term on the board. Always eager to support the good works of others, Ken dedicated much of his time to the Girl Scouts — selling cookies, assisting at yearly sailing camp, and traveling to four of the five International World Centers. In fact, on October 21, 2022, Ken was to be presented as a new member to the Princess of Denmark, the patron of the Olave Baden-Powell Society, at their annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Although Ken and Adrienne established their roots in San Antonio, the city of Seguin remained a central part of his life. In the early 1980’s, Ken and his older brother Donald founded King Properties, LP and carried on their father’s vision of converting their family land into both residential and commercial real estate. Together, they built The King Ranger Movie Theater and managed over 30 retail spaces. For 30+ years, he drove to Seguin weekly, working out of their childhood home at Court Street and King Street. After Donald passed away in 2009, he continued to carry on the business with his sister-in-law Marilyn, son Kyle King, and niece Janet (King) Tschirhart, by his side. In 2019, Ken retired a third time, selling a portion of the business along with the homestead to his nephew, Mike King.

During his retirement, Ken traveled the world with Adrienne, visiting all seven continents and exploring the many cities and cultures of Antarctica, Iceland, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Europe, Turkey, and Croatia to name a few. As active as he was, Ken always made time for Texas A&M University and Aggie Football. In fact, since the early 1970’s, missing a home game was a rare occurrence.

Above all else, family remained the most important thing in his life. He was the proud father of three children — Kirklan Warren King, Kamela Michele (King) Fiedler, and Kyle Wendell King — and grandfather to six grandchildren — Delaney King, Mason Fiedler, Kathryn King, Terra Fiedler, PK King, and Ella King. Since his own years at Texas A&M, both of his sons as well as four of his grandchildren have become Aggies — keeping the family tradition alive — something of which he was very proud.

An inspiration to all those that knew him, Ken lived life to the fullest until his last day. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Adrienne, his three children, and six grandchildren. He was loved by his family and his many friends, and will be greatly missed by all.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the St. Matthew’s Catholic Church Men’s Club in honor of the deceased. Visit https://www.stmatts.org/ to learn more.