Mark Ernest King (1950 - 1995)

Born 25 Jul 1950 in Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, United States

Ancestors

Died 9 Jan 1995 at age 44 in La Verne, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Saphyre Rogers-Berry [send private message]

Biography

Mark Ernest King, the only child of Patricia King and Frank King, was born July 25th, 1950 in Des Moines, Iowa. Before 1962, Frank and Patsy were divorced and Mark lived with his mom during the school year, and spent summers with his father in Michigan.

Mark was incredibly nearsighted, and the story in the family is that he was riding his bike and actually ran into a car because he couldn't see well, and that was when his parents realized how bad his sight was. Certainly, he wore very thick lens glasses starting at an early age.

Mark was educated in Iowa public schools, excelling at his school work, and even reading through the entire set of encyclopedias that his mother had bought. In 1967, Patsy moved Mark and his younger sister, Saphyre Rogers-Berry from Des Moines to Ames, Iowa. Mark was a senior in high school, and this moved him from a very tough poor high school to an affluent middle class school which she hoped would give him more advantage towards higher education.

Unfortunately, according to a family story, this almost derailed Mark's chances. On the first day of his new school Mark left his desk to do something and a new classmate tried to play a joke on him by hiding his books before he came back. In his old school that was a provocation for a fight, and so upon coming back to find his belongings missing, the story goes that Mark had the student up against the lockers ready to kill before anyone really knew what was going on. Given his fairly small stature this was doubly surprising but Mark had learned to be very tough in his old school. Things were worked out and he adjusted to his new school quickly.

Mark was incredibly intelligent and was one of a select number of individuals who scored a perfect SAT. He graduated from Ames High School in May 1968. He was awarded full schoolarship to the University of Iowa where he studied biology and chemistry with the desire to go to medical school. He developed several friends at U of I that he remained close to for the rest of his life, and he was an avid fan of the Hawks, making the Rose Bowl trip to watch them a number of times. It was also here that he met he wife Teresa (Marlow) King. The story behind their meeting, as told to Mark's sister several years later was that Teri knew she would struggle in chemistry class and so sat in class where she could look for someone who might be able to study with her and help her through the class. Sitting in front was a geeky, bespeckled boy with dark frizzy hair and Teri said she knew that Mark was the one when he actually corrected the professor in the midst of a formula that had gone across 2 different chalk boards. This was the start of their romance, as Mark did indeed help her through chemistry class.

Mark graduated with honors from the University of Iowa in 1972. He graduated from the Carver College of Medicine - University of Iowa in 1977 having taken 1 year off during this time to work and save money. Mark excelled in his education, and as a result was recruited vigorously for residencies. He spent his residency at Stanford University Hospital, specializing in hematology oncology and even after graduation remained highly active in research, passionate about finding a cure for leukemia.

Right after graduation, Mark married Teri on June 4th, 1977 in Iowa City, Iowa in a small family ceremony. After they wed, Mark and Teri moved to San Diego, California where Mark started his professional career practicing medicine.

A few years later Mark moved his family to Oklahoma City to join a fellowship opportunity. This is where his first son, Jared King was born on February 6th, 1983. However, by the time his second child, Ryan King was born on March 3rd, 1986, they had moved back to southern California. While having grown up in the midwest, they no longer wanted to deal with winters.

Mark and Teri moved their two boys into a home in Laverne, California, a suburb of Los Angeles where Mark worked in a local hospital, as well as at the VA and with a fellowship continuing his research into leukemia. He was a thoughtful physician who believed in listening carefully to his patients and serving as a guide rather than an authority.

Mark developed lung cancer around 1993 in spite of having never smoked, and battled it for 2 years before finally succumbing on January 6th, 1995.^[1] Dr. Mark Ernest King died in Laverne, California and was buried in section 257 of Oak Park Cemetary in Claremont.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Death: "California Death Index, 1940-1997"
   FamilySearch Record: VPS1-LZF (accessed 11 October 2023)
   Mark Ernest King death 9 Jan 1995 (born 25 Jul 1950), son of Fichtner, in Los Angeles, California, United States.
2. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #79288772 (accessed 11 October 2023)
   Memorial page for Mark Ernest King (25 Jul 1950-9 Jan 1995), citing Oak Park Cemetery, Claremont, Los Angeles County, California, USA (plot: Section 357); Maintained by Parker Emerson (contributor 47544105).

• Personal recollection of Saphyre Rogers-Berry, sister of Mark King, October, 2023