Merrill "Mickey" K. King

Merrill “Mickey” Kenneth King, Sr of Vienna, Virginia passed away on April 10, 2021 after a long and valiant fight with Parkinson’s disease, with his beloved wife Elena Riestra King by his side. Although he suffered multiple strokes and complications from the Parkinson’s, he always retained his dignity and his humor. Mickey’s one liners were famous, and his wry sense of humor and ability to both shock and delight was one of his most charming traits. Born in Claymont, Delaware to Kenneth King and Agnes Higman King on November 15, 1938, Mickey was a loyal fan of the small state, taking pride in being from the region with his long dedication to the Washington Nationals and The Washington Football Team. A lover of sports, cars, and anything fast, Mickey turned these passions into his life’s work. He could often be found tinkering with his cherished but temperamental Triumph TR4 and even in retirement, possessed the license plate, DrFlame. Mickey was a graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University) with a PhD in Chemical Engineering. He worked for many years as a combustion scientist at Atlantic Research Corporation and the National Science Foundation. In 1993 he took a position with NASA as an Enterprise Scientist in charge of its programs in Microgravity Combustion Research and Major Fire Prevention. In particular, his work on boron burning in solid rockets stands out as an example. At NASA headquarters, he managed and guided the very successful microgravity combustion program which is still doing well today. Mickey was able to publish a couple of technical papers all by himself without any staff support during his tenure at NASA headquarters. Throughout his years in combustion research, he collaborated with research groups from all over the United States and around the world, authoring over 100 scientific papers. As much as Mickey loved to work hard, he also loved to enjoy himself and watch those he loved enjoy themselves as well. In 1996, he married his second wife, Elena Riestra King, and their shared love of wine festivals, travel, and entertaining everyone from their “ARC days” to their neighbors and family, filled his free time. Mickey could frequently be found at a bar with friends, at the bar at his home, or at a winery tasting. He had over 100 souvenir glasses that he had collected over time. His work allowed him to indulge his personal passion for travel, particularly through regular attendance of international conferences of combustion scientists. Over the years, he visited 48 of the 50 states and more than 25 foreign countries many with Elena. At home, he was a creature of routine, an avid reader of spy thrillers, and lover of jazz music, but abroad he could adapt to anything. His favorite destinations included Carmel, CA as well as Las Vegas, Hawaii, Greece, and Sicily. He was particularly fond of small cities with good bars and wine. Mickey is survived by his son, Kenneth of Sterling VA and daughter, Sharon of Leesburg, VA, his widow, Elena of Vienna, VA. He is also survived by his brother Mark King (Mary) of Glemore, Pa, and his sister Pat Vandersall (John) of Silver Spring, MD. He is also survived by Elena’s sons, José Padrón (Dana) and children Mohamad Sidibay and Ally Padrón, and Ricardo Padrón (Zoë) and his daughter Teresa Padrón. Drink a little wine, crack joke and hope the Washington Football Team has a good season.