Dr. Charles Franklin King
Born in New Orleans on April 2, 1942, Dr. Charles King passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 13, 2023. “Doc” King dedicated his medical career to primary care and public health, especially serving those in rural areas. He worked tirelessly for his patients and often took on the role of advocate for them.
A member of Jesuit High School’s class of 1960, Charles went on to receive his B.S. from Loyola in 1964. He then attended medical school at Louisiana State University New Orleans and completed his internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. From there he was drafted into the Vietnam War and completed his residency in Vietnam. Attaining the rank of captain, he served in Vietnam from 1968-1970 in the First Infantry Division (The Big Red One), and the Second Battalion of the 28th Infantry Regiment (The Black Lions). He received the Bronze Star with Valor for his service.
Upon returning from Vietnam, he finished his army career at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver until 1972 when he was discharged from the army. Dr. King then worked in Denver, Colorado and Whitefish, Montana. He settled in Evergreen, Colorado and became an emergency room doctor at St. Anthony’s in Denver. With his experience from Vietnam, he helped St. Anthony’s as they expanded into helicopter transport and rescue, and assisted in Mountain Search and Rescue.
Dr. King later practiced medicine in Collbran, Colorado and Billings, Montana. During his time in Billings, he worked as a locum tenens doctor in small towns such as Roundup and Red Lodge. He also worked in public health at Deering Clinic in Billings, taking a keen interest in the health of his patients there.
In 1998 Dr. King moved to Texas to be closer to family. He continued to work as a primary care doctor at Live Oak Professional in Commerce until his retirement.
Dr. King loved hiking, skiing, military history, ancient languages, collecting coins and military artifacts, reading and collecting books, and classical music. He was a great teller of dad jokes. He is survived by his wife, Karole, children Abigail (John) Palmer, Caroline (Charles) Bollman, grandchildren: Charles, Gisella, Louis, Roland, Dietrich, Astrid, Severin and Tancred.
A Rosary will be held at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home on Monday, January 23rd at 6:00 PM and visitation will follow the Rosary from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. A funeral Mass will be held at a later date, and internment will follow at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on his behalf to Samaritan`s Purse Medical Missions P. O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 and Paris Pregnancy Care Center 500 East Houston St. Paris, Texas 75460. Special thanks to Heart to Heart Hospice, Laramore-Osborne American Legion, 1st Vice Commander Jim Watson, Hayde Spencer, and Chuck and Renee Francey.