Major Steven A. King, Army, retired, 55, of Ellersie, Georgia, and formerly of Bowling Green, died unexpectedly Jan. 9 in Galway, Ireland.
Major King was visiting Ireland with his daughter, Emily, who was preparing to begin a semester abroad at Galway University.
His mother, Jean Ladd, of Bowling Green, said her son always wanted to visit Ireland. He and his daughter, a student at Columbus State University in Georgia, had completed arrangements for her stay and were starting a week of sight-seeing, when he was stricken.
Mrs. Ladd said he probably had a smile on his face at the time.
He loved spending time with his children. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and more recently beekeeping.
Major King had retired from the Army after about 23 years of service. He continued to work for the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, writing training manuals.
Major King was born in Bowling Green on June 29, 1964. He graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1982, however, having enlisted n the National Guard, he was in basic training the day of the graduation ceremony. After a year at Rochester College in Michigan, where he intended to study for the ministry, he returned to Bowling Green to attend Bowling Green State University where he joined the ROTC program. He graduated in 1986.
He served as a Cobra helicopter pilot. He was rated to fly six military aircraft. He served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and in Kosovo. He spent the last 12 years of his career stationed in Chicago where he worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He deployed to provide support after Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007.
Major King leaves behind his wife, Chin; his daughter, Emily; son, Pearse; his mother, Jean Ladd; step-father Charles Ladd; sister, Kristina King; step-sisters, Jennifer and Heather; grandfather, Robert Ladd; and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his father, Gerald King; his grandmothers, Grace Ault and Lois Ladd; and nephew Colin Doyle.
There will be a service with military honors in Georgia, and a celebration of life at Bowling Green Church of Christ will be held at a later date.
