Obituary of Margaret Mary King

From sharecropper to landowner, Margaret Mary King has been sowing seeds since she was a little girl. As a wee child with her baby sister Alma (pre-deceased) looking on and her twin sister Frances by her side, she was raised on a small farm in Leesville, South Carolina. Her love of God and deep roots in Catholicism took hold at the convent of the Sisters of The Blessed Sacrament founded by Saint Katherine Drexel in Bensalem Pennsylvania. As children, Sr. Katherine noticed their unique bond, and was often photographed holding them on either side of her majestic presence. They were blessed to have attended her canonization in 2002. Quite possibly this relationship with a future saint was where her life-long love of Advocacy and Philanthropy began. Having been born in 1919 - just three years shy of a century ago – Mama King was no stranger to hard work and overcoming obstacles. At the tender age of 18, she and her twin sister left the convent is search of employment and soon relocated to Brooklyn New York. After eight years of perseverance, she met the love of her life – Army Veteran William Jesse King Sr. - at a dance marathon where they'd won first prize as an anonymously paired couple. They fell in love, married in 1945 – and their union was blessed with seven children; JOSEPH PIERPONT "JP" MORGAN, DIANE CHRISTIE "SISSY" KING, DONALD STEVEN "BUSTER" KING, WILLIAM JESSE "JR." KING, GORDON OLIVER "SHUBIE" KING, SUZANNE ANTOINETTE "TOII" KING, and MILTON ANTONIO "MAK" KING. An avid collector of salt&pepper shakers and all things giraffe, Mama King was a woman of many talents. She and her husband eventually bought a home in South Ozone Park Queens and moved the family East. As progressive in politics as she was in culinary arts, she was also a master seamstress who was adept at not just reading between the lines of social issues, but also inserting a zipper between them. Before the passing of her husband in 1970, this consummate friend to the needy found employment at New York's Creedmoor State Psychiatric Hospital where she worked for well over two decades. While employed there, she bravely returned to school earning a BS in Behavioral Science from Long Island Institute of Technology and was instrumental in pioneering medication reform, recreational programming and the move to supervised community housing. Simultaneous with her work and studies, she found time to work with local police to coordinate community watches, plan annual block parties and celebrate every birthday and anniversary. By now Diane had given her the first granddaughter and the family began its unprecedented growth toward five generations. Always moving forward, now literally the epitome of an "empty-nester", Mama King gifted the family home to her newly-wed son Wm. Jr. and bought 6 acres of land in the Catskills to realize a life-long dream. In 1992 she official opened TWIN ACRES BED & BREAKFAST in the lovely hamlet of Kauneonga Lake, where she could – although in retirement – live a full life of love, laughter, and community service with her fourth son Oliver by her side. Here she also served on several boards, advocated for both children and seniors, rallied for the underserved, underrepresented and disenfranchised, sat on the local board of the Senior Legislative Action Committee, attended every Bethel Town Hall meeting, helped plan, build, furnish and decorate her local senior citizens' center, and often took the opportunity to share her amazing skills of listening, public speaking, tailoring, cooking, entertaining, organizing, planning, guiding & comforting – to name just a few – with not just her Town Supervisors, but with such icons as Alan Gerry, owner and founder of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Margaret Mary always took tremendous pride in her extensive five-generation family and spoke of them often to friends, neighbors, and caregivers. These five generations are noted here: Diane's daughter Capricia Crawford, (father Raymond) her husband Chris Williams, children Corrie & Kenny, Corrie's son Hunter and Kenny's daughter Ameriah. Donald's children Faeda & Kwesi (mother Lorraine Burnett), Malaika & Akili (mother Julie Clinkscales): Kwesi's wife Beverly, children Kayla, Kwesi Jr., Faeda's children LaCaira, Kinara, Kajhari, Sekiyah, Brian Jr., Kinara's fiance Antonio, their son Antonio Jr., Malaika's daughter Nola. William King Jr., wife Tarja LaJeunen King, his son Hannibal Sean King, Mother Leatrice Upshur. Suzanne's life partner L'Monique King, her sons D. Omari Wallace (daughter Assata) Nkosi Wallace. Milton King Sr.'s wife Elizabeth, children Alexandra (daughter Esperanza) Milton King Jr., stepchildren Desiree Weston (husband Tyrone, son Tyrese), Melody Henderson (children Aaron Jr., Aaronasia Washington) & Elijah Henderson IV (SIP!). A PHENOMENAL WOMAN, wife, mother and friend – a true child of GOD - now called to be another one of his angels! On Monday April 18 2016, Margaret Mary King departed this life to reside forever with our Lord in his everlasting kingdom, joining her identical twin Frances C. Bruhier who preceded her only 21 days earlier. Blossoming from all the seeds she's sown, Margaret Mary leaves behind a bouquet of love, hope, perseverance and faith for all her family and friends. Homegoing services and the celebration of the life of MARGARET MARY KING will be held Tuesday, May 3, 2016 [10am] @ RC CHURCH OF ST. PETER in Monticello, New York.