Theron LaVerne King

     (Grand Rapids, MI)  Theron LaVerne King of Lake Odessa, Michigan age 88, died on Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Crystal Springs Assisted Living, where he received excellent care for the last 2½ years.  Theron was born February 20, 1928 to Frederick and Elizabeth (Jarstfer) King, joining his 11 year-old brother Estle.  The family lived most of their lives on King Road, southwest of Lake Odessa, where Theron’s father was the minister in area Evangelical United Brethren Churches.  Growing up there, Theron soon became life-long friends with Max Decker.  Theron graduated from Lake Odessa High School in 1945.  After pressing his parents for the required written consent, Theron then joined the Navy at age 17.  Theron and Max enlisted together, served most of their term together, returned together, and then fell in love with and married sisters.  Theron and Roberta (“Bobbie”) Lapworth were married on May 14, 1949.  They lived in Lake Odessa all of their 55 married years where, in time, they built their own home, with Theron doing or assisting with much of the construction and wiring.

     Theron began working for Michigan Bell Telephone Company at the age of 20.  He started with in-home phone installations, back when phones needed a wired wall jack connection.  He then climbed up as a linesman on telephone poles, and then worked as a switchman servicing ratcheting switches that made physical connections between rotary-dial telephones.  Theron left all of this with hilarious joy when he retired 38 years later.  During their early years with a growing family, Theron worked as many as 3 jobs at a time in order to allow his children to enjoy musical instruments, Scouts, and other things of need and interest.  Theron also served as a Scout Master when sons Steve and Fred were in Boy Scouts.

     Theron was quite the handyman, being able to install or fix almost anything.  His children learned to simply put a broken toy on his basement workbench and, within a day or two, it was returned in like-new condition.  Theron also did many handyman jobs in the community, either for pay or barter, and especially served neighborhood widows for little or no charge.  When the last of the five children had grown and moved out of the home, he replaced them with a John Deere riding mower with snow-thrower attachment and soon appointed himself to care for a couple of widows’ lawns and to blow snow from sidewalks for at least a one-block radius.  When Theron and Bobbie lived in Florida for the winters following their retirements, he soon became known in the mobile home park as that young handyman to call.  One thing he couldn’t figure out, though, was how to keep the squirrels from ravaging the birdfeeders.  He tried greasing the pole, mounting a piece of plywood at the top of the pole, re-engineering an old satellite dish on the pole, and occasionally he could be found hiding behind an open garage window waiting to take aim with a pellet gun.  But they kept coming.

     In their retirement years, Bobbie took up ceramics and canvas painting, while Theron tried his hand at whittling and woodcarving, and fishing whenever possible.  Theron also enjoyed reading books from the Lake Odessa Library, which Bobbie had made initial attempts to help organize many years earlier.  They loved to travel, including a trip to Luxembourg to visit the burial site of Theron’s brother Estle, who died there in WWII, being awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously. 

     In addition to Theron’s parents and brother preceding him in death, his wife Bobbie also went on ahead on December 9, 2004, and Theron has now received a rich welcome home in heaven.  Theron will be dearly missed by son Steve (Connie) King of Severn, MD; son Fred (Pat) King of Grand Ledge, MI; daughter Karen King of Grand Rapids, MI; daughter Diane (Dale) Bates of Portage, MI; son Jim (Laurie) King of Big Rapids, MI; grandchildren John, Adelle, Abby (and Andy), Elizabeth, Greg (and Lori), Jeff (and Jamie), Karen (and Mike), Katie, Lauren, Angie, and Kayla (and Mike); as well as by many extended family members and friends.  Theron was also thrilled to have met and held great-grandchildren Griffin (Jeff and Jamie) King and Claire (Kayla and Mike) Cousineau in the last year.

     The family will receive visitors from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on Wednesday, August 3, and from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thursday, August 4, at Koops Funeral Chapel in Lake Odessa, with the funeral service immediately following at 12:00 PM.  Following burial with military honors, a luncheon will be served at the Fellowship Hall of Central United Methodist Church, where Theron and Bobbie and family were members.  Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Theron King to Central United Methodist Church or to the Friends of the Lake Odessa Library.  Condolences may be mailed to or left online with Koops Funeral Chapel at www.koopsfc.com.