With the passing of James Conway King on April 21, 2021 at the age of 98, we lost one of the few remaining members of the Greatest Generation.  Jim came of age during the Great Depression and served with honor in World War II as an Aide de Camp for Mark Clark, Commanding General of the Italian Campaign.  He also served with distinction in the Korean War.  Jim was born to Thomas Barton and Frances Julia King on October 28, 1922 in Alexandria, Louisiana.  After his military service, he moved to New York City where he became an international banker with City Bank of New York (now Citibank.)  In that capacity he traveled the world, nurturing a life-long passion for travel and adventure.  He was living in Havana, Cuba at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution and barely escaped with his life during Castro’s siege of Havana.  Jim ran through the chaotic streets, catching the last transport ship leaving the city, carrying one suitcase, filled not with his own belongings, but with family heirlooms that he carried to safety in the U.S. for his Cuban friends.  

Jim and his life-partner, John Faris, eventually retired in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that became the love of his life.  He was an avid student of art and architecture.  He painted, did needlepoint, and created architectural designs.  He was a devoted patron of the theatre and the opera.  He loved fine cuisine, entertaining his friends, and any lively discussion about politics.  He was a man of unfailing good manners, gracious personal charm, and an extraordinary ability to tell a story.

Jim will be deeply missed by his family and friends.  To know Jim was to love him.  To know him was to carry away, every single time, a spark of the joy he brought to life.  A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.  

First Memorial Funeral Services

James King

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James Conway King

October 28, 1922 – April 21, 2021

First Memorial Funeral Services & Boal Chapel and Memorial Gardens

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