Douglas King Obituary – We are terribly saddened to notify you of the passing of a wonderful spouse, father, grandparent, and great-grandfather. He enjoyed all of these roles in his life. Certainly, he will be sorely missed. The death of Douglas Weldon King took place on October 13, 2023, with his loving family members surrounding him at the time of his passing. In addition to his father, B. Scott King, who had passed away, he was also the son of Marion Burns (Saunders), who had also passed away. Saint John was the location of his birth on May 4th, 1936.
Even though Doug was a proud Saint Johner, he had spent a considerable portion of his earlier years in Western Bay, Newfoundland. This was despite the fact that he was named after the city. Beginning when he was a teenager, he worked as a checker for CP Rail at Port SJ throughout the night. His shifts lasted almost the entire night. After completing his studies at Saint John Vocational School and graduating with a degree in machining, he went on to finish an apprenticeship with J. Fred Williamson that lasted for a period of four years. He worked at Ocean Steel in the years that followed, and in 1991, he retired from Rothesay Paper. He had been engaged there for a number of years.
The fact that Doug was retiring did not cause him to become less productive. As a result of his entrepreneurial ambition and his excitement for people and the city of Saint John, he became known as the “King of Hospitality.” He was a pioneer in the hospitality industry. He exerted a tremendous deal of effort and was very proud of the results of his efforts. As a consequence of his motel business, he became affiliated with a variety of organizations all around the world. Both Hospitality Saint John and the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick were among the organizations that were involved in this.
In addition to that, he was a member of a number of committees that were responsible for meeting and greeting passengers who were traveling by airport aircraft and cruise ships. In his status as Senior Goodwill Ambassador for the Province of New Brunswick, he served in that capacity for a considerable amount of time. In the year 2001, Douglas was distinguished with the Marmie Campbell Volunteer Award, and in the year 2010, he was presented with the Cruise Ship Lifetime Volunteer Award. These distinctions were bestowed upon him as a token of appreciation for his persistent dedication to the industry.
Doug’s interest in sports may be traced back to the beginning of his life. During his time with the Saint John Wanderers football team, he was rewarded with entry into the Wanderers Hall of Fame in 2014. This distinction was bestowed upon him back in 2014. During each and every hunting season, it was easy to find him in the woods with the guys. He was always there. When he was retired, he enjoyed going on trips to Labrador and fishing at Ball’s Lake. He also enjoyed going fishing at Ball’s Lake. He would spend the most of the seasons at the camp in Cambridge Narrows with his family, where he would also be working on a project with his close buddy Pat. He would also be there for the other seasons. Doug would remind you over and over again that he was “The Champ” and that he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, playing marbles and cards, and other activities of this nature.
Susan Downing and Scott King, Doug’s children, as well as their mother, Roberta King, will miss him very much. Doug’s grandchildren will also miss him very much. He leaves behind his loyal partner, Lillian Hull, and his children will remember him with fondness. He will be greatly missed. He was affectionately referred to as “Grampy” by Laura Downing (Brandon Laskey) and Alex Downing. Lincoln and Levi Laskey referred to him as “Great Grampy,” and he was known as “Grampy” by them. In addition to his brother Jack Waring, his stepmother Margaret King, his stepfather Leo Burns, and his special aide Pat LeBlanc, all of his family members had passed away before he did. Before he was born, his parents were also among those who had already departed away.