Clinton S. King Jr., an engineering executive whose family included Northern California pioneers, died Nov. 2 of complications related to cancer, his family said. He was 84.
Mr. King was a descendant of Peter Van Maren, a Dutch immigrant who arrived in California during the Gold Rush and homesteaded land near what is now Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue in Citrus Heights. Another prominent ancestor, John Lewelling, arrived in the Hayward area in 1850 and later settled in St. Helena.
Born May 4, 1928, in Sacramento, Mr. King was the second of four children raised by Clinton and Elsie King. He graduated from Western Military Academy in Alton, Ill., and earned an engineering degree from UC Berkeley. He served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and led a company assigned to clear minefields during the Korean War.
His career as a registered engineer included developing drainage studies and construction plans for projects at military bases throughout the West, including Mather, McClellan, Beale and Travis Air Force bases. He was a vice president at McCreary Koretsky Engineers and a founding partner and corporate vice president of Spink Corp.
Mr. King served several terms as president of the Sacramento chapter of the Society of Military Engineers. He was a member of Kiwanis and was active in recreational groups, including South Hills Racquet Club, Sacramento Swimming and Diving League, Del Paso Country Club, and Arden Hills Swimming and Tennis Club.
He had three children with his first wife, the former Shirley Ann Peterson, and was predeceased by his second wife, the former Louise Fiddyment. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Charla Lyons King of Fair Oaks.
Other survivors include his son, Clinton S. King III of Manhattan, Mont.; daughters, Kristen King of Sacramento, and Gwenn Tanvas of Fremont; brother, Van Maren King of Woodland; stepdaughters, Susan George of Granite Bay, and Karen Hart of Newport Beach; stepsons, Stephen Eales of Stockton, and Eric Fiddyment of Roseville; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is set for 1 to 5 p.m. today at Del Paso Country Club, 3333 Marconi Ave., Sacramento.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Los Amigos in care of Sacramento Children's Home, 2750 Sutterville Road, Sacramento, CA 95820; Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St., Sacramento, CA 95814; or Sutter VNA and Hospice, 1836 Sierra Gardens Drive, Suite 130, Roseville, CA 95661.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
• Read more articles by Robert D. Dávila
Order Reprint
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.