God bless him. He was a good friend and student. May rest in peace. I was a year a head of him, class of "57".

I met Leroy over forty-five years ago. I remember one night after going out to dinner with Leroy and Cheryl, Leroy telling me about his adventures in South America. He was a extraordinary storyteller and I was fascinated listening to his stories. 
After they moved to Vegas, we were able to see them more often and we enjoyed our visits. Leroy was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He will be deeply missed.

EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES PART 3

Leroy was an artist.  He won many awards for his ice carvings.  He later made many artistic wooden pieces of furniture.  Since Leroy’s mom was an excellent chef, it was second nature for Leroy to become a renowned Pastry chef, good genes and a good environment.  That is why Leroy was selected to the three member Olympic baking team for the USA.  During the competition, the USA team received the highest number of points.  He was indeed the artist.  
 
I have so many more stories of Leroy, but I must talk about Leroy.  
Leroy was fun loving, enjoyed life, and had a great sense of humor.  He was reliable, dependable and always had your back.  He was an excellent family man and a great provider.  He will definitely be missed.

EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES PART 2

For the assemblies at the high school, if a person donated a can in a basket for the needy, then it was assumed you attended the assembly.  If one did not donate a canned good, then you went to study hall and your name was recorded.  Leroy and I donated the cans but when it was time for the assembly, we ran off campus and down an alley.  We slipped and fell to the ground, looked up, saw mean Mr. Buck coming toward us.  We ran away from the alley to the street and to our pre-arranged parked car.  After that the rules changed for assemblies.  Roll was taken in the assemblies and in the study Hall.  
 
Twice, Leroy was told that he would not graduate from high school.  The first was when he was failing the required US government course.  Each Friday, we were given a test from the American Observer newspaper.  Leroy was failing each test.  Since it was a newspaper, we subscribed to it.  It arrived in Leroy’s mailbox on Thursdays with the test included.  Leroy passed the rest of the tests and the course. The other time happened two weeks before graduation. Leroy, Ray and Conrad ditched school and went to Mexico.  The mistake was taking sophomore Conrad with them.  I was lined up, practicing graduation in the auditorium, when Mrs. B. (Conrad’s mom) burst into the auditorium, grabbed me by the shoulders and shook the H out of me, and said “For God’s sake where is he?”  I whispered, Mexico.  She was gone in a flash, called the cops and sent them to Nogales. Later Leroy chuckled, and said to me, we went to San Luis.  The cops never did locate them.  Leroy had to toe the line for those two weeks and make up time in after school detention.

EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES PART 1

During our formative years, Leroy and I were like two peas in a pod.  We were joined at the hip.  We completed each other’s thoughts, ideas and sentences.  We could not be closer.
 
When we were in Fowler Grade School, I would walk to Leroy’s house and then we walked to school every single day.  When we started Tolleson High School, we walked to Van Buren Street and hitch-hiked the three and one-half miles to the school until Leroy bought his first $50 car from Lee Burst’s junkyard.  
 
Leroy’s bicycle was a hand me down from his sister Nancy.  It was very low geared.  My bicycle was very high geared.  This meant that when we were in the seventh grade, we came in last in the noon time bicycle races.  Our bikes could not cut the mustard.  So we took off the front wheel of Leroy’s bike and connected his bike to the back of my bike.  We had a strange looking bike, three wheels in line for a bicycle built for two.  We then won the race that day as we had a low gear and a high gear. Leroy got us off with a great start with the low gear and then mine kicked in to pick up the speed.  In those days, bicycles had only one gear (speed).  
 
Leroy and I built two boats.  The first one was made from wooden slats that we had available.  We put the boat in the little canal and when we both got in, the boat sank and so did we.  The second boat was a different story.  We spent many hours building it, sanding it and applying fiber glass.  We spent many days on the lakes of Arizona, especially Bartlette Lake.
 
We built what we called our desert sled.  It’s runners were made out of metal fence posts used for barbed wire.  The sled worked perfectly on a frozen pond but when we took it to the Snow Bowl near Flagstaff, it sank in the snow.  As far as I know, it is still there.  
 
Leroy and I discovered and explored several Indian ruins.  We hiked the Grand Canyon in our teen years and later, as adults, we spent three days hiking the Grand Canyon.

I have so many memories of Leroy and the King family.  Leroy was a constant for so many of us, a dependable man of honor who loved his family fiercely and always had an open door.  I first met Leroy in the parking lot of Community Lutheran Church 35 years ago.  He walked up with my sons and asked me if they could go home with his family to help him put up his Christmas lights.  When I picked up my sons that evening I met the rest of the King family, who would become one of my greatest blessings.  That day 35 years ago I would have never guessed that we would share an amazing grandson who blessed us with a wild and crazy great grandson.  Real people have ups and downs but Leroy was a no judgment safe place that was a voice of wisdom.  Thank you Leroy for being real, present and constant.  See you on the other side my friend.

Just wanted to share a happy memory. 

Leroy was having some memory loss and was excited about a new medication that he felt was working well.    I curiously asked him what the name of the medication was and after a minute of thinking he said “I don’t remember”. 

Dave and Moni Trylovich

I am so grateful for the chance to meet and know Mr King.  He was always so nice and loving when we got to see him at Gages events.  I loved hearing Gage talk about him and all the wonderful things they did together.  My prayers are with the whole King family during this difficult time. 🙏🙏❤️❤️

I am so very sorry for your loss… I used to work with Stephanie way back in the 90’s and I had the pleasure of getting to meet her parents on quite a few occasions. They were wonderful people! Your dad was a riot and I immediately loved his personality! A jokester with a great spirit! He was one of those people you don’t forget. My heart goes out to your family during this difficult time. Prayers and hugs for you all. He is not gone he has only passed on to another place and one day you will be reunited.

You will be missed by your precious family and many many friends. I am so grateful that I was able to meet you back in 1998 in Fairbanks, Alaska when Nicole and I graduated from UAF.  Rest in paradise.

At Nicole and Erics wedding. Leroy was so happy and so giggly.

This picture was taken at my wedding in March 1997. Leroy and Cheryl  always made time for us. Love you all, Christine

One of my biggest supporters at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in 1972, I think. At that time women weren't exactly the best in kitchens. He got me started doing sculptures for banquets. Cheryl scrubbed my stove when I got married and moved into our first house. Lots of fabulous and warm memories of them both. Then when I would meet family in Vegas, you all absorbed us in like family. Joyous memories of a really fun time in my life. We worked hard and played hard. I remember his dad in the storeroom at the Biltmore. What a ride! A life well lived, so glad he and Cheryl and you girls were a part of mine. Thank you.

OBITUARY

Aubrey Leroy King Jr.

July 24, 1939 – March 10, 2024

Palm Eastern Mortuary & Cemetery

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