James Frank King

James Frank King, longtime Austin resident, passed away January 20, 2024 at the age of 80. Jim was born March 13, 1943 in Washington DC to Robert Lloyd King and Louise Roberson. He was preceded in death by his parent, second mom, Hazel Mitchel King and brother, Robert Lloyd King II.

As a child, Jim lived in Washington, DC; Berkley, California; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador and Lima, Peru before the family settled in Austin in 1958. Jim graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1961 and attended the University of Texas before enlisting in the US Army in 1966. He was trained in Monterrey, California at the Defense Language Institute, where he became proficient in Mandarin Chinese. He was stationed in Thailand and Taiwan as a cryptanalyst during the Vietnam War, deciphering and decoding Chinese radio transmissions. Returning to Austin after his discharge from the Army, Jim earned his BA in Business Administration from St. Edward’s University. He worked for the IRS, Sears and HEB until he retired in 2008.

His role model was his uncle James King, a fighter pilot during WW2, which sparked his lifelong passion for aviation. He was very involved in Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer auxiliary of the US Air Force. Beginning as a cadet in high school, he moved up in rank to 2nd Lieutenant. He earned his pilot’s license in 1962 and flew every chance he could. He especially enjoyed taking his siblings up for aerial tours of Austin. Jim had a near encyclopedic knowledge of all things aircraft and had an uncanny ability to identify any type of airplane, both military and commercial. He was an avid model airplane enthusiast, filling his closets and bookshelves with is vast collection. While stationed in Taiwan, he bought a 1971 Datsun 240Z. “Sporty” became his pride and joy. As a very active member of the Capital of Texas “Z” Club, he proudly showed “Sporty” off at car shows and participated in weekend club drives through the Hill Country.

Having never married, he loved playing uncle to his nieces and nephews, wearing the Santa hat to pass out presents or bunny ears to deliver Easter baskets and dressing up for Halloween. It was special when Uncle Jim let them pose on his Kawasaki motorcycle or sit behind the wheel of the 240Z.

Although a proud Austin resident, when it came to football, he preferred to cheer for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He had a witty, dry sense of humor that would surface at the most unexpected times, always reminding people he was “JFK.” Jim never turned down an opportunity to go fishing or an invitation to a good Chinese buffet.

Jim is survived by his sisters, Angela King Smith (Kenneth), Cynthia King Johnson, Janet King Keeble (Floyd), sister-in-law Martha King, 11 nieces and nephews, and 19 great-nieces and nephews.