George Neal King, of Tampa, FL, passed away on May 5, 2021, at age 85. George was born in Columbia, Mo, on January 17, 1936, the only child of George and Abigail Louise King. He attended Hickman High School in Columbia, where he played trumpet and varsity baseball. At Hickman, George began dating his future wife, Anne Sutton. They met years earlier in the nursery of their church.
As a young man, George spent many summers fishing and camping with his uncles at the Lake of the Ozarks. If not fishing with his father or uncles, George and friends biked to favorite fishing holes, mowed yards, built forts and played baseball.
After high school graduation, George attended the University of Missouri and joined Sigma Nu fraternity. Anne and George were married in Columbia at the First Baptist church in 1956. George graduated in 1960 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
George is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anne Sutton King;
four adult children - Lizabeth (FL), George E & Nancy (MI), David & Lori (TX), and John & Jennifer (FL); eight grandchildren - Morgan (FL), Lane and Phillipe(MN), George S(IL), Sarah and Aaron(TX), Amanda and Tyler(TX), Katie and Matt (IL), Zack(FL), and, Bailey and Andy(CA);
plus bonus grandchildren Brennan, Cassidy, Evan, Sean, Joshua, and Marc.
great-grand children - Ella, Everett, Evelyn, Claire, Noel, and Oliver;
nieces - Elizabeth(Shawn) MO, and Eaddy(Josh) CT;
and great-niece and nephews - Ella and Theo(CT) and Graham(MO).
George worked at GTE/Verizon for 39 years. He began his career as a lineman in the 1950’s where he learned the value of hard work. He held various operation positions in Columbia, then in 1977, George became VP - Operations at GTE of the Midwest, based in Grinnell, IA. Five years later, he was promoted to VP - Network Engineering and Construction of GTE Florida and moved to Tampa, FL. George’s first accomplishment in Florida was the completion of GTE Center, Tampa Bay’s original skyscraper. The building was renamed Tampa City Center and it remains the third tallest building on Florida’s west coast at 39 stories.
George became VP - Planning, Engineering and Standards in Dallas, where he oversaw the construction of the new headquarters location in Los Colinas at 500 and 600 Hidden Ridge. He led the acquisition of the telecom business in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. George retired in 1993.
George was an avid outdoorsman, and he loved to fish with family and friends, including salmon fishing in Alaska. A favorite destination was River Ranch in his bass boat at Kissimmee River near Lake Wales, FL. He enjoyed activities with his children and grand children, played couples bridge with friends on a regular basis, dined out, traveled with Anne to six continents and many countries along with annual vacations in North Carolina, and of course fishing, fishing, and fishing with friends and family.
George served as an officer of Westgate River Ranch Owners Association where he had many friends. He served at his church, and during his long career at GTE he participated in numerous community and charitable endeavors.
A funeral service will be held at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa, FL, on June 12, 2021 at 10 a.m. An obituary and funeral plans can be found at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tampa-fl/george-king-10182386
In lieu of flowers, memorials in George’s name may be made to:
“The Spoken Word”, Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church, 2902 W Fletcher Ave., Tampa, FL 33618
Or
https://shop.arborday.org/trees-in-memory
Or
https://wildlifeflorida.org/donations/conserving-floridas-wildlife/
Please visit the following link for the live stream of the service on June 12th at 10am EST: https://youtu.be/6OofPosAS2k
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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