James Everett King, Jr.'s Obituary
J.E. King was born in 1939 on February 28th in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. He grew up on the family farm just outside of Bentonville with parents Everett and Inez King, brothers Bill and Jack, and sister, Sue. The family worked hard to make a living, feeding and milking the cattle before breakfast and school and then repeating this at the end of the day as well. J.E. attended Miller Community school up until the fifth grade when he began attending class in town. He graduated from Bentonville High School in 1958 and began working shortly thereafter at Kraft Foods. He met his future wife, Peggy Spainhour, while attending Sunday evening church service at the First Christian Church. J.E. and Peggy were married in January, 1961 and lived initially in "Rose Goodman's chicken coop" on NW 10th Street. In May, 1962, J.E. was drafted by the U.S. Army and served at various bases across the southeast United States. While stationed in Fayetteville, NC, their son, Russell, was born. The family returned to Bentonville in 1964 and purchased a farm near the place where J.E. had grown up and later welcomed their daughter, Rebecca. Eventually the family would become complete when they welcomed a second daughter, Elizabeth Ann. After the passing of his parents, the family then relocated to the farm where J.E. had grown up, continuing the tradition of running a dairy and farming the property. J.E. eventually decided to leave farming and went to work full time for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission in 1982. This was the perfect role for him, allowing him to continue to be outdoors and become familiar with all of the beauty of the lakes throughout Arkansas. After retirement, J.E. and Peggy traveled often with their fifth-wheel in tow, exploring in particular parts of the western U.S. They enjoyed traveling with close family members in this manner and in the occasional jaunt internationally where Switzerland was a favorite destination. J.E. loved having his family, and in particular his grandchildren, spend time at the farm with him. He always had horses and a pony for the children to ride and cherished those times when all were together to enjoy each other's company. J.E. is survived by his wife, children, and six grandchildren, Talon, Cash, Taylor, Sullivan, Mathew, and Nicolas ?A Memorial service will be held at 11AM, Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at the First Christian Church in Bentonville with Pastor Don Morrow officiating. ?Visitation will be at 10AM until service time.
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