What sets apart the very life
of Bob King from the others is that the way he chose to live his life. He was very unassuming, extremely humble to
the core, and compassionate beyond anyone’s imagination. He truly loved his wife Donna, and he was a real
hero to his children.
He was a man of true integrity
and his faith in God never wavered, even in his pain and seeing the face of death
knocking at his door, he never complained or ask God the question “Why?” He had a profession as a computer engineer,
but served his country as a reserve US Navy Commander.
In the beginning he had a
harmonious life with his wife and the three kids he raised. However, he and Donna heard the plight of the
homeless children in Korea and heeded to their needs. His incredible adoption journey started in
1987 when they adopted David from Korea and after him came four more children
from Korea. Except for David, they were
all special needs children. He also adopted a girl named Lena from India,
also a special needs child who couldn’t walk because her legs were bent forward
at the knees instead of backward. Lena
came home and got operated, and she is walking tall today, and is working as a
clerk at an Air Force base. Three more
children came as they all required special needs.
I met the King family over
the years at the Holt Picnics, and also got him involved as a member of the Board
at Holt later, and two of us became good friends. I even invited the King family to one of our
MPAK picnics where they shared their adoption story.
In 1998, then President of
Korea Kim Dae Jung and his wife Madame Lee Hee Ho visited the US, and several
adoptive families were invited to participate in a dialogue session with the
First Lady. Both the King family and our
family were invited. In the meeting, the
First Lady was captivated by the young boy named Adam King, who had titanium
legs, and she immediately fell in love with him. In a question and answer period, Adam King,
who must have been seven years old at the time, abruptly asked the First Lady, “Will
you invite us to Korea?” The First Lady,
somewhat taken back by this surprise question said that she would.
Late in 1998, the Madame Lee
Hee Ho kept her promise and invited all the families present at the gathering,
and I recall there were around 19 families.
Madame Lee treated us royally, including a special invitation to the
Blue House. Bob King was the speaker that represented all the adoptive
families, and thanked the First Lady on our behalf.
Madame Lee loved the King
family, especially Adam King. She
invited them to Korea again where Adam was given the honor of throwing the
first pitch at a professional baseball game.
The image of the boy in the titanium legs with a baseball uniform and a
cap throwing the first pitch became a national sensation, and the story of Adam
King and his family spread wide in Korea.
The story of Adam King, and
the love of his parents elevated the issue of special needs adoption to a new
level in Korea. For most Koreans, they were
witnessing an example of extreme love at its best. They questioned, how can this family from
America adopt such a child? How can they love a child like this? And most of them were thanking the King
family in their hearts for taking in the child that Korea could not keep, that
Korea rejected, and that Korea could not love.
Without a doubt, this was
what impressed the Madame Lee the most, and she thanked the King family for
loving an unlovable child from Korea. It
wasn’t just one child, but four other children from Korea.
In late 2012, Bob lost his
job due to the Government sequestration, and was without income for a whole
year. The life insurance they had
through the company terminated when he was laid off. They were living off of the savings and from
the proceeds from social security. Bob
has given his lives for his children. Now
the incredible burden has fallen on Donna as she is left with the remaining
children in care. While some of the older
children have grown up and left the King’s nest with families of their own, Donna
has the incredible challenge of taking care of the seven remaining children
that are all special needs. With very limited
income and resources in Donna’s hands, my heart goes out to the King’s family,
and want to reach out to the adoption community and the Korean community for
helps.
A few days after Bob’s
passing, my wife and I visited Donna and her children to console and to pray
for them. Before we parted our ways, I
asked Donna what is one thing that she would characterize or remember about Bob. Without hesitation she said that Bob truly
loved the Lord, and he was a very loving husband and a friend, and that he gave
his best for his children. As for the
children, they said that he was the best Daddy they could ever ask for, and
that he was an amazing man of God.
For those who are around the
Southern California area and wish to participate in the Funeral, you may come
and honor Bob’s life and comfort Donna and their families on this Sunday, January 19th at 3PM at:
Discovery Christian Church
27555 Alessandro Blvd.
Moreno Valley, CA 92555
27555 Alessandro Blvd.
Moreno Valley, CA 92555
If you are unable to attend, but
you want to support Donna and the children, you may send your gifts to MPAK,
and 100% of the proceeds will be given to them.
MPAK is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization where your donations are tax
deductible.
MPAK
15532 Wilder Avenue
Norwalk, CA 90650
15532 Wilder Avenue
Norwalk, CA 90650
Please mention “Bob King” in your check.
Or, another way is to click the “Donate” button on
the upper right side of this blog page to donate through Paypal.
A Great Father to the Fatherless...May You Rest in Peace in the Arms of God.