THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
Daytona Beach, Florida
Friday, April 28, 2017

Helen Gross King, 88, passed from this world into Jesus' arms on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Beth Shalom Nursing Home, Richmond, Virginia, with loving family members present. A visitation for Mrs. King will be held on Friday, April 28, 2017, 6 to 8 p.m. at Lohman Funeral Home Ormond Chapel, Ormond Beach, FL. A holy Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, April 29, 2017, 10 a.m., at St. Mary's Catholic Church of Korona, Fla., with the Reverend Joseph Slawomir, and Seminarian Matthew King, grandson of Mrs. King, officiating. A committal ceremony will follow at St. Mary's of Korona Cemetery, Korona, Fla.

Mrs. King, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a 1947 graduate of Mount Saint Joseph Academy, and a 1951 graduate of Chesnut Hill College of Philadelphia, with a major degree in Latin and minor in Spanish. She relocated from Alexandria, Virginia to St. Augustine, Fla., in 1978 upon her husband's retirement from the federal government in Washington, D.C., and was a founding member of the Corpus Christi Parish of St. Augustine.

A devoted Mother and homemaker, she took pride in raising her 9 children, and was actively involved in her faith, serving in the church, and was a cantor and choir member of the Basilica Cathedral of St. Augustine and she loved singing to the Lord. In St. Augustine, Mrs. King worked in the medical community and Catholic Charities as a bookkeeper, for which she had keen eyes for details and was meticulous, and she served the poor, needy and heartbroken. She was known for her bright smile and cheerfulness that lit up the hearts and rooms she entered, and exuded a soft gentle spirit. Others relied on her for strength, and she was an avid and faithful intercessor, led by the Holy Spirit, and she served others with empathy and care.

Mrs. King had a love of beauty, an artistic flair for design and dress, and was elegant in her manner, speech and keeping her home. She was an accomplished violinist and pianist, having studied music for 12 years, and loved to dance. Always with a generous heart, she thoughtfully took special delight in preparing and sending cards and gifts to those she loved. Married in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1951,

Mrs. King was preceded in death by her loving husband of 57 years, Gene Paul King, of Scranton, Pa.

She is survived by her nine children of whom she was so proud; Steven King (Linda), retired city attorney of Fallen, NV., Jennifer King Edelman (Richard), clinical supervisor/social worker for Hanover County, Ashland, VA., Jeffrey King (Valerie), Delta Airlines captain, Marietta, GA., Susan King Arieux (Raymond), homemaker, Glen Allen, VA., Daniel King (Deneen), general manager of Hyatt Regency Resort, San Antonio, TX., Patricia King (Stephanie), assistant vice president, Kinsale Insurance, Glen Allen, VA., Christopher King, general manager of Publix Supermarket, St. Augustine, FL, Veronica King Wiles (Christian), commercial realtor of Glen Allen, VA., and Constance King, occupational therapist, director of EMR enhancement, Brookdale Senior Living, Ormond Beach, Fla. She is also survived by her sister, Ann Gross Eldred, Longport, NJ and her brother Francis Gross, Warminster, PA., and received great joy from her 24 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and many nephews and nieces and their families. Mrs. King is preceded in death by her brother, Herman "Bud" Gross, of Cherry Hill, NJ, and parents Herman and Helen Gross of Philadelphia, Pa.

Lohman Funeral Home, Ormond, is in charge of the arrangements.