Herold "Buddy" King

Mr. Herold King

"Buddy"

"The Lord has prepared a place for me. I shall take my rest now at the feet of my King and Savior"

A Beloved Husband, Father, Brother and Friend
Herold “Buddy” King was born on January 26, 1948 to Jimmy King and Lula Mae (Williams) King
in Clarke County, AL. He accepted Christ as his personal Savior and joined the Zion Branch
Baptist Church in Gosport, where he faithfully served as a Deacon. “Buddy” as he was
affectionately called, attended the public schools of Clarke County. He graduated from Wilson
Hall.
He married Mattie Whitsett and their loving union for forty-seven years raised eight children.
Most recently he worked as a Truck Driver and was the Fire Chief for Tri Community Fire Dept.
in Gosport, Al. He loved his family and enjoyed the simple things in life; the love of family and
good friends. Buddy was a man who felt one with the outdoors and the creations of God. He
was an avid hunter and fisherman.
In the 1970’s, he dedicated his life to serving his country, enlisting in the United States Army.
During his enlistment, he was stationed in Vietnam. Herold often participated in field missions.
On one particular mission, he battled in enemy territory, where he and members of his
squadron, took on fire and were shot several times. His squad radioed for a medic team to
recover the wounded. The airvac came into the zone during the exchange of heavy artillery, and
attempted to airvac him and other wounded personnel out of harm’s way. Some of the
wounded made it onto the helicopter before enemy fire caused them to retreat, leaving some
behind. “Buddy” was one of those left behind to await a second attempt. They were later
rescued, however, the initial airvac, that had taken off first, took on more enemy fire and
crashed, killing everyone aboard. Herold King received an Honorable Discharge from the United
States Army.
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 11, 2019, God saw that his servant
needed to rest. He gently closed his eyes and left behind the woes of this earth. He was
preceded in death by his parents, Jimmy and Lula Mae King one daughter: Aretha Taylor King;
three brothers: Tommy, Robert Sr., and J. L. King; and two sisters: Georgia, Martha Jane.
Herold King is survived by his loving wife: Mattie King of Gosport, AL; children: Raymond Taylor of
Monroeville, AL, Alvin Ray (Jackie) Taylor of Whatley, AL, Davetta (Micheal) Hill of Gosport, AL; Francilla
(Jerome) Betts of Grove Hill, Al Kimberlyn (Gary) Betts of Bermuda, AL, Erica (Preston) Horn of Gosport,
AL, Tina (Cedric) James of Mobile, AL, and Ka’Zerik King of Gosport, AL; his siblings: Barbara (Bob)
Williams-Austin of Harrisburg, PA, Gloria (Charles) Cobb of Harrisburg, PA, Bryant (Carrie) King of
Wyndance, NY, Sam (Barbara) King of Albany, NY, Jimmy (Katie) King and Alfred Johnson both of Mobile,
AL and Gloria Rand Bridges of Theodore, AL; two brothers-in-law: Clinton (Loretta) Whitsett of Perdue
Hill, AL, and Clarence Whitsett of Gosport, AL; four sisters-in-law: Mary King of Mobile, AL, Sharon
(Arthur) Jones, Bertha Davis and Lucille Ely all of Gosport, AL; 16 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren,
a host of nieces, nephews other loved relatives and many friends.

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