Mr. William Lawton King Jr.

William Lawton King, Jr., 80, of Caroline County, stepped into heaven early on Monday, August 7, 2023, at Marion Manor in Stafford, VA. He died of natural causes after an extended illness. Lawton was born on February 27, 1943, in Columbia, South Carolina, to William Lawton King and Mitchell Smith King. He was the oldest child, a brother to two sisters. He was raised in Bishopville, SC. His interest in science and technology began at a young age when he read through his family's set of encyclopedias. He became the youngest licensed amateur radio operator in South Carolina at 16 years old. After attending Clemson University and Rochester Institute of Technology, Lawton settled at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in White Oak, MD, later transferring to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. He worked with the Navy for 37 years as an electrical/network engineer before his retirement in 2003. Lawton also spent 25 years in part-time ministry work. For nine years, he worked behind the scenes at A Can Can Make a Difference, a ministry focused on feeding the hungry in the Fredericksburg, VA, area, thanks to the MacAnanny Foundation. He then spent the next 19 years supporting missions in India, whether as a missionary himself or raising funds through Light to India Ministries to support Indian pastors, orphans, and widows. This ministry has built more than 20 homes for widows and provided 35 motorcycles to pastors of churches in remote areas. Lawton was always an avid reader of poetry and literature, especially C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He was also a poet himself and would often spontaneously recite his poems. He was a master of the "dad joke." And it was well known that if you needed to ask him a question, you had to make it clear you wanted the short version. Otherwise, you'd get the long version, and he'd tell you way more than you wanted to know! Lawton was predeceased by his first wife, Diana Runkle King, on December 31, 1978. Lawton King is survived by his wife of 44 years, Delilah Ann King; his five children, Tanya King, Cory King, Aaron King, Joel (and Nicole) King, and Michelle (and Anthony) Lipscomb; his eight grandchildren, Corbin King, Avery King, Jordan Carlson King, Samantha King, Abigail Lipscomb, Tobiah Lipscomb, Fiona King, and McKinley King; his sisters, Susan (and Ken) Starns, and Kathy (and Bud) Rollins; many nieces and nephews, Laura Bennett, Trez Rollins; BJ Joslyn, Troy Joslyn, Danielle Burtis, and Eli Joslyn; many in the loveable Runkle family; and numerous pastors, and their families in India, Ireland, and Israel. A memorial service will be held in his honor at 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at River of Life Church, 7408 Patriot Highway, Spotsylvania, Virginia. The service will be officiated by Pastor Dale Donadio and Pastor Joel Harris. A reception will follow. All are welcome. A homegoing celebration will be held on September 18, 2023, in Bishopville, SC, followed by a private family interment. The Directors of Hancock-Elmore-Hill Funeral Home are caring for the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to AMT/Light to India Ministries, a 501c3 (c/o Michelle Lipscomb, 501 Gibson Dr, #421, Roseville, CA, 95678). We want to thank the River of Life Church pastors and staff for the use of the church and Marion Manor for the exceptional care they took of Lawton.

Tributes

Mr. William Lawton King Jr.

September 27, 1943 - September 17, 2023