Eugene Lamar King

Eugene Lamar King, 85, of Topeka, formerly of Del Rio, TX and San Deigo, CA, passed away on Friday, February 22, 2013 at his home. He was born April 5, 1927 in High Springs, FL, the son of Grover Claude and Lina Register King.

He was a Navy veteran of WWII. While in the Navy, Eugene met and married Harriet Brody. He then became a coal miner in Pennsylvania for several years. They moved to San Diego and Eugene joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After serving a tour in Vietnam, Eugene retired from the Air Force after 22 years of service. After retiring, he worked as a carpenter for several years. He was a member of the American Legion and the V.F.W.

Eugene married Harriet Brody on August 24, 1949 in Yuma, AZ. She preceded him in death on March 15, 2002. He was also preceded in death by his brother, Johnny. Survivors include one daughter, Ilene (Gary) Donnelly-Sandell of Topeka, five grandchildren, Andrew (Amy) Adams, Yvonne (John) Bowman-Posch, Frank Kent, Andrew Sandell, Alexa (Josh) Latta, seven great-grandchildren, Victoria Bowman, Zoe Lapage, Ethan Adams, Aurora Kent, Johnathan Brody Lamar Posch, Sierra Posch and Aaliyah Latta and five sisters, Adeie, Nancy, Claudia, Judy and Becky.

Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel. Burial will follow in Penwell-Gabel Cemetery. Eugene will lie in state and the family will receive friends one hour prior to service time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Grace Hospice, 3715 SW 29th St., Ste. 100, Topeka, KS 66614 or the organization of the donor's choice.