Samuel “Sam” Forrest King passed away May 23, 2014. He was born April 07, 1928, in El Dorado, Arkansas. He moved to Longview, Texas with his family in 1932, returned to El Dorado in 1938, and moved back to Longview in 1939. Sam graduated as valedictorian from Longview Sr. High School in 1944, at the age of 16. He attended Kilgore Jr. College and subsequently graduated from Texas Technological College in June of 1948 with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering. Sam became a member of the honorary engineering society Tau Beta Pi in his junior year. He started working for Magnolia Petroleum Company in 1948 and continued to work for Mobil Oil when Magnolia was consolidated into the Mobil organization. Sam retired from Mobil Oil February 01, 1994 after 46 years of accredited service in stream processing as a self-proclaimed “redneck engineer.” Assignments included 12 years overseas and 11 years management positions with assignments in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Overseas assignments included England, Germany, Norway, and Sumatra, Indonesia. He was granted one industrial patent. Sam served two years of active service in the U.S. Army in Japan. He was honorably separated in September 1952, and honorably discharged from the inactive reserve in 1956. Sam served 8 years as a Scout Master and Commissioner as a member of the Order of the Arrow and Brotherhood, and received several scouting awards. He coached little league boys’ baseball and girls’ softball teams. Sam lived by the Scout motto: Be Prepared. He has moved from “har” to “Thar.”
Sam is survived by his children, Patrick, Theresa, and Rebecca; grandchildren, Jessica and Samuel; and former wife, Elpidia.
He was preceded in death by his father, Roy D. King; brother, Roy King, Jr.; mother, Ora King, and by his eldest son Samuel Roy King.
A chapel service will be held 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas. Interment will follow 1:15 p.m. at DFW National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. The family will receive friends during a visitation from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army.