BILLY GEAN KING
BILLY GEAN KING
April 6 1926 - April 20, 2021
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Billy's Obituary
Soldier, pilot, fisherman, raconteur. Born April 6, 1926 to Sidney Albert and Lorena (Zuber) King in Jacksboro, Texas, Bill spent his childhood on the various ranches where his father worked as a ranch hand. At age 14, he hitchhiked to Fort Worth, where he worked at various jobs until he decided he wanted to work for an airline. Bill was hired by American Airlines in 1942, where he remained employed until he was drafted in 1944. Following basic training, he was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army 80th Infantry Division, 317th
regiment, M Company as a machine gunner. During the next few months, Bill would travel from Luxembourg through the Siegfried Line back into France, back through the Siegfried Line then into Germany, up to the border of Czechoslovakia, down to Austria, ending up near the border of Switzerland at war’s end. During that time he had numerous adventures and close calls with death. After the war, he served as a guard for Chief Justice Jackson during the Nuremburg trials. Upon returning to the US, Bill got his old job back at American Airlines. He remained with American for the next thirty years, finally retiring as a supervisor at Will Rogers Airport. For the next forty years, Bill enjoyed retirement relentlessly. He enjoyed flying his Aileron, was an active participant in flying clubs, ran personal businesses, managed a small local air strip, traveled, fished, and whatever else came to mind. For more than 20 years he was a snow bird with his dear wife Ann, going from Otter Tail Lake in Minnesota in summer to South Padre in winter. It took Parkinson’s and a recent severe illness to finally bring him to a stop on April 20th. He is survived by sons Rex (Benja) King and Paul (Susan) King; beloved wife Ann Baker King; stepdaughters Diane Bone, Kathy (Roy) Yates and Lisa (Roger) Rains; granddaughter Tori Imboden; nieces Cheryl (Bruce) Cummings, Pam (Donnie) Seigler, and Jo (Wayne) Hatchell; grandchildren, great nieces and a great group of friends he made everywhere he went.
