Dr. T. Kevin King M.D.

Memorial services for Dr. T. Kevin King, 78, of Tyler, TX will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Stewart Family Funeral Home with Rabbi Neal Katz officiating. Guests are invited to join the family for a reception, immediately following the service. Remote guests are invited to attend at https://www.stewartfamilyfuneral.com/obituaries/T-King/#!/PhotosVideos. Dr. King will be laid to rest at Rose Lawn Cemetery, during a small family burial, preceding the service. Dr. King passed peacefully on January 5, 2023, in Tyler, surrounded by family. Dr. King was born Clark Francis King, Jr., in Clinton, MO on June 28, 1944. For more than three decades, he was an active member and past president of the East Texas Court of Magic. He was also a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, attending many conventions over the years. Dr. King was affectionately known as “magicdoc” to many and enjoyed performing magic tricks for audiences of all sizes. Dr. King was also a frequent guest at Congregation Beth El, where he enjoyed studying Judaism and connecting with members. After graduating from high school, in Concordia MO, as valedictorian, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri in chemistry, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Following his undergraduate work, Dr. King attended Baylor Medical School and completed an internal medicine internship. After his internship, Dr. King became a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. During the Vietnam War, he was stationed at an army base in Dugway, UT. During his time there, he did everything from delivering babies to flying in the base helicopter as a rescue physician. After Dugway, Dr. King returned to Texas, spending time in Dallas and Huntsville, working as an emergency room physician. He moved to Tyler in 1974, where he worked as a family physician before starting an anesthesia residency in the late 1970s. From then on, Dr. King practiced solely as an anesthesiologist, primarily serving in Tyler hospitals for the next four decades. During the last several years of his career, Dr. King enjoyed short-term positions serving as a locums tenens physician in Texas and Mississippi. Before retiring in 2016, Dr. King spent his last working years at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, where he found great joy teaching young anesthesia residents as the attending physician. After retiring, Dr. King found enjoyment in cooking for himself, as well as friends and family. He was known to send texts and emails describing daily meals and favorite recipes. He also enjoyed reading, and was a lifelong learner. In addition, Dr. King enjoyed traveling. In September of 2022, he traveled to Missouri with his youngest daughter to attend his 60th high school reunion. Dr. King’s greatest pleasure was found spending time with his family, especially his four grandchildren. He loved visits and video chatting in between visits. He was known as “Papaw” to his two oldest grandchildren and “Zeyde” to his two youngest. Dr. King was preceded in death by his parents, Clark Francis Sr., Nellie Irene (Merritt) King and wife, Janet Louise McMurphy King. He is survived by his loving family including (in birth order): son Michael King, wife Jen King and grandchildren Max and Alex of The Woodlands, TX; daughter Robin King and partner Mark Miesel of Longmont, CO; daughter Amy Cole, husband Matt Cole and grandchildren Daniel and Tyler of Edmond, OK; and daughter Erin King of Tyler, TX. He is also survived by his sister, Charlotte Louise King of Boonville, MO. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that expression of sympathy take the form of contributions to the American Diabetes Association in Dr. King’s memory, P. O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023 (www.diabetes.org).

Dr. T. Kevin King M.D.

June 28, 1944 - January 5, 2023