Robert "Bob" King

Robert “Bob” King died March 14, 2026. He was born September 21, 1932, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, to Charlie and Hazel (Folkstad) King.

King served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1954 and traveled to England and Germany during his service. He married Cleo Pierce, and together they raised three children, Scott, Mark and Sheri, and cared for many foster teenagers.

King was a skilled woodworker and outdoorsman who enjoyed building things, spending time in the woods, and fishing. He took joy in snapping turtle hunts and whitefish netting with his friend Dale Pierce.

He graduated from Park Rapids High School, Minnesota, in 1951 and from Bemidji State University in 1959. King worked for 32 years as a high school shop teacher, head wrestling coach and assistant football coach in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, retiring in 1991. His wife Cleo died in 1991.

Known as a teacher who believed in self-discipline, hard work and doing things the right way, King’s lessons were remembered by his students long after his retirement. He was known for saying, “Case, trace, swivel, cut, cam, shade, bevel, vain, seed, mule foot and background like the devil!”

Though he seemed gruff, King had a tender heart for family and friends. A friend once said, “Bob has a soft heart, with a few miles of gravel road to get to it.”

After Cleo’s death, King married Cheryl (Dillon) on April 1, 1994. Together they traveled across the United States and Canada in a pickup camper. King’s siblings, Dixion and Ginger, lived separate lives but often reunited.

Survivors include his wife Cheryl King; children Mark (Ann) King and Sheri (Marlo) Meester; daughter-in-law Lisa King; stepdaughters Lori (Joel) Haakenson and Susan (Mike) Deuth; sister Ginger King; sisters-in-law Jean King, Carolyn (Joel) Nelson, Colette (Daryl) Haugrud, Cathie Thompson, Connie Sjostrom, and Christie (Dave) Shulstad; brothers-in-law Charles (Barb) Larson and Curt (Roxanne) Larson; grandchildren Greg, Brittney, Amanda, Lida, Grace, Claire, Eli, Ryan and Levi; and nine great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Hazel King; his brother Dixion; his son Scott King; niece Karin King; and brothers-in-law Dale Thompson and Terry Sjostrom.

Bob King will be remembered for his love of woodworking, the outdoors, his stubborn independence and his loyalty to friends and family.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, March 29, 2026, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Pelican Rapids VFW Post 5252, with military honors at 2 p.m.