William C. ‘Buck’ King

Bill was born August 20, 1931, in Marquette, a son of Arthur and Margaret “Pearl” (Chapman) King. One thing about Bill, he wasn’t afraid of hard work, actual physical work. Bill married the love of his life, Marylou Hogan, at age 19. They were married for 62 years until her passing on July 2, 2012. Once married, Bill then started working many hard jobs to support his family. Some of his jobs were working at the carnival running the ferris wheel, going out on Lake Superior on the fishing boats and pulling in the fishing nets by hand, and cleaning the fish on the boats for six to seven hours a day. He use to say that his hands would be numb from the cold water. He and his family moved to Flint where he worked for the Buick car plant. However, the fishing and hunting weren’t very good in Flint, so he decided to move his family back to God’s Country, the U.P. and Marquette. Bill worked at the mines for a few years before he started his real easy job – roofing. He owned and operated Kings Roofing while Marylou ran King’s Party Store in South Marquette. Bill’s job as a roofer involved him carrying 40 pounds of shingles on his shoulders up and down a ladder at least fifteen times a day, tear offs, and applying “hot stuff”. Again, very hard work, but that was Bill’s way. He was a roofer for over 40 years. Bill was a loyal South Marquetter and he often told his family, “let’s keep the money in South Marquette.” He probably hired at least 20 guys who lived in South Marquette. If you knew the difference between a hammer and screw driver, had a strong back, and a good pair of legs, Bill could possibly hire you. That’s the good news, but the bad news is that you might not last very long! He was a tough boss and expected three things out of his men – be on time, work hard, and do it right. Those expectations were also applied to his family, which sometimes didn’t work.

Fishing and hunting were his real passions in life. Fishing Gaine’s Rock and catching a 41 inch northern pike, fishing the Carp River Gorge where he caught a seven pound rainbow trout and fishing the White Rocks and catching a 24 pound lake trout, all true stories. And, we won’t even mention the numerous bucks and rabbits he shot while hunting with his excellent hound dogs.

Bill was an actual “South Marquetter” having lived in South Marquette for over 70 years. In his younger days, he and the “South Marquette Gang” swam in the quarry, pitched horseshoes in Hogan’s Alley, and rode horses bareback on his friend’s farm. He use to say that those were the good old days and we had fun.

Bill also loved going to the casino and even though he hardly won, he loved talking to the people.

Bill is survived by his son, Bob King (Marie) of Rock; his daughter, Bethany Forbes of Tomah, WI; a sister, Florence “Bubbles” Martins, who is 91 years young, of Cudahy, WI; grandsons, Dwight Forbes of Norfolk VA and Jaron King of Marquette; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Weigel of Marquette and Adalene Hogan of Wisconsin; brother-in-law, Dickie (Judy) Hogan of Cape Coral, FL; his little canine grandson, Bug King; numerous nieces and nephews; and special friends, Rosemary Karageorge, Patty Sandell, and Lloyd Helt all of Marquette.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Marylou; a son, Patrick King; grandson, Malcolm Forbes; brothers, Edward King and Artie King; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Carol King, Carol and Art Huempfner, Charles Weigel, Richard Martins, and Junior Hogan; numerous family, friends, and special pets, Trix, Cricket, and Baby.

In closing, Bill was a caring and generous person who helped many and was always willing to give a hand when needed.

Per Bill’s request, there will be no services at this time.

In early summer, there will be a celebration of his life for family and friends at his son’s residence in Rock.

Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services is serving the family, where condolences may be expressed online at fassbenderswansonhansen.com