Passing of Frater Lee King, 296
Frater Lee King, Scroll 296, entered the Chapter Eternal very suddenly on the afternoon of Saturday, August 9th, 2008. Lee was killed in a fatal car accident near Red Oak, IA. The funeral service was on August 13th in Papillion, NE. He was buried in Blockton, IA.<!--break-->
Lee was very active as an alumnus, participating in the efforts to plan and raise money for the new house, as then following in the open house and 50th anniversary celebrations. He also initiated the Whale program, and worked at recruiting large donations for Delta Nu. And if you remember the walk from 222 W. Cooper to 555 W. 9th Street for the 50th Anniversary, we wouldn’t have had the organized chants without him.
He was an active golfer, participating in the annual golf tournament as well as being active at his home golf course in Omaha, Tiburon. A tournament at Tiburon now carries his name, as does a fountain for a pond, for which he helped to raise funds.
Lee never hesitated to offer his opinion to help out a cause for TKE or to nudge others into getting involved. His family and friends will remember him for his smile, humor, generosity and enthusiasm for the things he loved and believed in.
Between now and the June 5th golf tournament, we will be discussing how to honor Lee for his commitment and involvement with TKE over the past few years. If you have any ideas, please email them to mwreiff@charter.net.
Go TKE, Go Bearcats and Go Packers!
Here is his obituary:
KING-Leroy Carl, age 64, Omaha. Born October 3, 1943, in Blockton, IA and died August 9, 2008 during a traffic accident near Red Oak, IA. He was preceded in death by his father Eldon L. King of Blockton, IA, and his wife Dorothy Ann (Ray) King of Omaha, NE. He is survived by his mother, Imojean King of Clearfield, IA, daughter Chris (King) Magnus, (John), grandchildren Carly, Michelle, and Johnny Magnus of Muskego, WI; his son Brant King (Caroline), and granddaughters Ashlyn and Savanna of Hillsboro, WI; sister Sharon Byers of Saint Charles, MO, sister Alice Miller, Huntley, IL with niece Kelly Newsom, and nephew Greg Miller of Chicago, IL, brother William King and sister in law Betty of Omaha, NE , Brother in law Jim Ray of Mo and Mary(Ray) Adams,(Ray) and many special friends, neighbors and loved ones. As a young person, Lee joined the Blockton Christian Church. After graduating from Bedford (IA) Community High School in 1962, he attended Northwest Missouri State University, in Maryville, MO, where he met his future wife Dotty. He joined Tau Kappa Epsilon's Delta Nu chapter while in college. After retiring he enjoyed actively supporting the chapter. His working career spanned forty years starting by delivering newspapers that were brought in by passenger rail service. He also worked as a soda jerk, laborer, and salesman. He started working as a laborer on the Chicago Great Western Railroad, and held many positions on the Chicago Northwestern including periods in Des Moines, IA, Mankato, MN, Milwaukee, WI, and Chicago, IL. He retired as AVP of sales with the Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, NE. Lee's life revolved around his family, work, and sporting events. He was active in all sports in high school and enjoyed playing softball after graduating. He continued to enjoy other sports as a spectator, and became an avid Green Bay Packer fan. He enjoyed golf, only wanting every shot to be a hole in one. As an active Tiburon resident he was an SID officer and committee member. Lee never forgot a face or name and his many friends will remember his strong political opinions and his great sense of humor.