A life well lived! Robert (Bob) James King passed away in the early morning hours of February 8, 2023, at his home in Pacific Manor. Bob was preceded in death by his loving wife Glendine (Glennie) King, his parents, Howard and Catherine King, and his brother Richard (Dick) King.

Bob was born to Howard and Catherine King in Buffalo, New York on November 15, 1937. At a young age, his family moved all over the country, finally settling in Sherman Oaks. There Bob attended school, eventually receiving a football scholarship to University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). On the field, his Coach called him the toughest guy on the team, both physically and mentally, and off the field Bob joined the Phi Delta Fraternity and earned his Business degree. If you asked Bob about the highlights of his college years, he would have said they were marrying the love of his life, Glennie, in March of 1959, and living in Malibu close to the ocean with his teammates.

Upon graduation from UCLA, Bob landed a job working in management, placing him at a desk inside in Los Angeles. That didn’t last long, Bob was quickly able to find a job as a grade setter that paid the same and he was able to be outdoors, setting him on a path that he never could have imagined. He was noticed quickly, by the owners of the company who were bidding jobs up in Northern California and they asked him to move to Humboldt as a supervisor. Bob and Glennie moved, spending first a short time in Lake County and then landing in Humboldt, where they never looked back! Once in Humboldt, he received his contractor’s license and joined Arthur B. Siri - Hooker & Co., which later became Redwood Empire Aggregates (REA), where he spent 50 years at the helm. As the company grew, they added North Coast Paving and Rock in Del Norte and Parnum Paving in Ukiah. Over the years, Bob received many honors, awards, and acknowledgements, including the 2014 Construction Person of the Year Lifetime Achievement award. “Black Top Bob ” loved construction and the people he worked with, always willing to lend a helping hand, share his expertise or just encourage them to keep on going. In 2010 Bob retired from construction, but those who knew him know that retirement didn’t bring rest but rather just a change in his activities. Bob could be seen on his daily drives that took him through the Arcata Bottoms to Blue Lake to check the River Bar, curving back to McKinleyville to check on property, his horses and grab a bite to eat, driving up to Trinidad to check the ocean and then to Orick, returning back to McKinleyville to meet up with his brother and friends, and ultimately heading home to Arcata just in time for dinner. Bob never sat still.

For many years, Bob sat on the Board at Pacific Union, served as Rotarian, and was a member of the Lutheran Church in Arcata. Bob loved everything about this County, but especially the great outdoors. Bob was an avid hunter and fisherman and in Humboldt had everything he truly loved at his fingertips. He could clam or duck hunt in the morning, fish, or crab in the afternoon, and even sneak in an early evening hunt if he wanted to. If you knew Bob he probably at one time or another, brought you an abalone, smoked salmon, crab, elk meat, venison, or something fresh from his ice chest that he had just caught or shot. Bob loved spending time at his second home in Shelter Cove and his cabin in Covelo. He also loved to backpack in the Marble Mountains with his kids, he would even volunteer to take neighborhood kids along. He rarely left the area, unless it was for hunting, snow and water skiing, or to go abalone diving. Some of his greatest memories were spent on a month-long annual hunting trip in Idaho with his great friends, annual Colorado hunting trips with his sons & grandsons, and many ski trips all over the Country. Bob had a love for all animals as well as ranch life, owning cattle and horses. Each year, Bob looked forward to the cattle drives on horseback in the Trinity Alps, an activity he truly loved to share with friends and family.

Bob is survived by his four children Cindy Graham, Wendy David (Brian), Danny King, Terry King (Tina) and his ten grandchildren, Cassie Graham, Kody King, Taylor King, Kaylee David, Kalyssa King, Cortney Fasnacht (Michael), Hunter Graham, Kandace King, Tanner King and Johanna Graham. He is also survived by four great grandsons (Brentton, Andrew, Tucker, Rayden) and a great granddaughter (Hali). Additionally, by his sister in-laws Joyce King and Lelani Overstreet, brother-in-law Gary Overstreet, and many nieces and nephews. We will forever carry with us Bob’s special love and appreciation for nature and the beauty of God’s magnificent creation.

We want to extend a special thank you to his caregivers, Bernardino and Selena Casarez, and Jennifer Mello, who not only took care of Bob but ensured that he felt loved; we would not have made it the last two and half years without you. To Doctor Senffner and his staff, it was truly a blessing to have you by Bob’s side for so many years!

A visitation will be held at Paul’s Chapel - 1070 H St., Arcata — from 4 to 7 p.m. on February 17 and a family graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on February 18 at Greenwood Cemetery – 1757 J St., Arcata. We hope that you can join us for a celebration of Bob’s life on April 15 at 1 p.m., at the Ingomar Club – 134 M St., Eureka.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Bob King’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.