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KING -- FRANK LYNN JR. 1st Lt. USAF (Ret.) Frank Lynn King, Jr. passed away at the age of 83 on Monday, September 3, 2007 following a long battle with pulmonary disease. He is remembered with love and pride by his devoted family and many friends. Born in Chicago on November 8, 1923, Frank was raised in El Dorado, AR with his older brother Garrett, and his younger sister Ethel. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and was trained as a B-17 bomber pilot. Serving as Lieutenant and commander of a ten-man crew with the 96th Bomb Group, he was shot down on a bombing mission near Bremen, Germany on May 6, 1944. After ordering his crew to bail out, Lt. King brought his stricken plane in for a crash landing in order to save a wounded crewman who was unable to jump. He saved the crewman, but lost his leg as a result of the crash. Lt. King was a prisoner of war until he was repatriated by the International Red Cross in late 1944. Lt. King was awarded the USAF Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in aerial battle, the USAF Air Medal for meritorious achievement in aerial battle, the Purple Heart for injuries received in battle and several other medals and awards for his valor and achievements while serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps. While in the hospital, Frank met Ann Craig MacGuffie of Passaic, NJ. They were married on July 6, 1946 in Passaic. Frank and Ann soon moved to Albuquerque, where he studied engineering at the University of New Mexico, receiving his degree in 1950. Three of their four sons were born in Albuquerque between 1947 and 1951. The King family briefly moved to the San Diego area in 1952, where their fourth son was born. They returned to Albuquerque for good that same year. Frank and Ann raised all four sons to adulthood in the house which remains the King residence in the S. E. Heights. Their oldest son, Major Frank L. King, III, was tragically killed in 1985 while training soldiers in desert warfare at Ft. Irwin, CA. Frank King's engineering career included tenures at Sandia Laboratories, Machine Engineering, Inc, American Car and Foundry, the Frank L. King Company, and numerous consulting positions around the nation. Frank was employed by the City of Grants, NM in March of 1978 as the first City Engineer in Grants history. He was later hired as the City Manager and performed both the jobs of Manager and Engineer until his retirement in 1989. He remained in retirement until his passing. Frank L. King, Jr. is survived by Ann, his faithful and devoted wife of 61 years, and their sons, Robert MacGuffie King and wife Judy of Hurst, TX, Dr. James Craig King and wife, Susan of Fredericksburg, TX, Charles Cameron King, of Fredericksburg, TX, and daughter-in-law Sandy King of Virginia. He is also survived by six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; his sister, Ethel Womack of Little Rock, AR; and a host of nieces and nephews. Frank was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Agda King; in-laws, Dr. Robert N. and Jessie MacGuffie; brother, Garrett King; son, Maj. Frank Lynn King III; and grandson, Nichol MacGuffie King. Frank L. King, Jr.'s cremated remains will be buried with military honors at Santa Fe National Cemetery on Friday, September 21, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, September 22, 2007, 10:00 a.m., at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 114 Carlisle Blvd. SE. In lieu of flowers, the King family requests that donations be made to Project S.H.A.R.E, a medical charity devoted to helping AIDS victims and their families in Kenya. www.shareafrica.org French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE (505) 843-6333 www.frenchmortuary.com
        Published on: Thu September 13, 2007