James M. King

James M. King

May 15, 1935 – Apr 18, 2017

Preceded in death by brothers: Robert, Harold, Jack, and Gerald King.  Survived by wife, Mary Jean King; son, Michael King (Jennifer); daughter, Barbara Thompson (Greg); grandchildren: Alex King, Julia King, Christopher Thompson, and Sam Thompson; sister, Joan Hasenstein; sister-in-law, Twyla King; brothers-in-law, Charles Hibbing and James Hibbing; nieces and nephews; other relatives and many friends.

The family will receive friends Sunday, April 30^th from 3pm to 5pm, with VIGIL SERVICE at 5pm at the Bel Air Chapel. MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL Monday, May 1^st at 10am at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church.  GRAVESIDE SERVICE with military honors, Monday, 2pm at Omaha National Cemetery.  Memorials are suggested to Mary Our Queen Catholic Church, Creighton Prep, or Marian High School.

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James M. King, 81, of Omaha died unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, while vacationing with family in Washington, D.C.  He was the loving husband of Mary Jean (Hibbing) King for 49 years.  He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on May 15, 1935, the son of Harold and Florence King, the second youngest of six children.

Jim’s parents died when he was a young child, and he moved from Massachusetts to Sac City, Iowa to live with his oldest brother, Bob King, and Bob’s wife, Twyla.  He graduated in 1953 from Sac City High School, where he was senior class president.  After graduation, he moved to Omaha to join the Union Pacific Railroad, where he held several positions over a 40-year career, retiring as a manager in the real estate contracts department in 1992. He met his wife, Mary Jean, in Omaha, and they were married in May of 1967. They had two children, Mike, born in 1968 and Barbara, born in 1970.  Jim attended night school at Creighton University while working at Union Pacific, and served in the military from 1958 to 1960, stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Jim had many talents and interests.  He was a gifted artist, and he enjoyed creating various types of art such as oil paintings, etchings and stained glass.  Jim had a passion for gardening and spent many hours perfecting his flowerbeds, filling them with statues, roses, tulips and many other special touches. He also loved decorating his backyard patio, where he spent countless hours with family, friends and neighbors. He loved the arts and entertainment—movies, TV, books, theater. He and his friends hosted an annual Academy Awards party every year.  Jim was also a big fan of Nebraska football.  He and Mary Jean attended home games for more than 40 seasons. He loved to travel with his family and friends and planned trips to many interesting locations.  Jim enjoyed photography and would organize his vacation photos into albums that he would share with family and friends.  Jim was interested in genealogy and had researched his family tree, tracing his roots back to Ireland.

Jim was an active member of Mary Our Queen parish, where he served as a lector at Mass for many years. Jim was also a committed supporter of the Henry Doorly Zoo, and worked on the zoo membership drive for more than 40 years.

Jim was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and was very much loved by his family and friends.  He will be forever remembered and greatly missed.