Floyd Alvin King, long-time agriculture pilot and short-time resident of Folsom, California, took to the skies one last time on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at the age of 90.
Floyd first showed up on radar in Portland, Oregon on January 6, 1934 to parents Frank W. King and Myrtle I. King (Charlton). His long-suffering mother dragged Floyd and his three older brothers, James, Raymond, and Gerald around the American west in their formative years, ever striving to keep up with his father’s case of wanderlust. Of particular note was the family’s time in Pecos, New Mexico, during which the four King brothers would hunt for arrowheads, purchase dynamite to blow up rocks to find petroglyphs, and excavate the neighbor’s yard in search of mission ruins.
Floyd worked odd jobs as he got older, including dishwashing at his parents’ diner and pumping gas at a station owned by two surly brothers. In search of sunnier skies, 18-year-old Floyd joined the Air Force and, after boot camp, was immediately sent to Thule, Greenland, a place not exactly known for its sunny skies. Floyd later transferred to Fairchild AFB, Washington where he finished out his military service to the country. After leaving the Air Force, he traveled to Friona, Texas where he pursued his fascination with flying by learning the art of crop dusting.
At this point, Floyd met a force to be reckoned with: his future wife, Katherine L. Bruni. After a long-distance relationship full of a flurry of love letters, Floyd and Kathy married and briefly did time in Los Angeles until Floyd secured a job as an Ag pilot for the Turlock Mosquito Abatement District, at which point Floyd and Kathy acquired the requisite 3-bedroom house, fence, two kids—Brian and Susan—dog—Rex—and cat—Cat. Kathy could not stand idleness, so she dragged Floyd into all sorts of social circles: active members of Sacred Heart Parish, Knights of Columbus, the Sacred Heart Dad’s Club, Cubmaster and Scoutmaster for Pack and Troop 51, Marriage Encounter, Journey in Christianity, and the Central Valley Dance Company, where, in support of his twinkle-toes daughter, he served on the board and painted backdrops for The Nutcracker.
There were some deviations from the flight plan for Floyd. He left TMAD for a time to crop dust for Mike’s Flying Service in Hilmar. Bypass surgery ended his crop-dusting career, so he returned to TMAD as a ground sprayer until his retirement at 60, at which point he quickly learned that he could very well get dinner on the table himself, thank-you-very-much since Kathy had no plans to retire. Ever. Unfortunately, God had other plans for Kathy, and so Floyd found himself living the bachelor life after 53 years of marriage. Learning it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, Floyd agreed to move to Folsom with his daughter Susan and her family, where he happily enjoyed Starbucks every day, watched war movies on full blast, and worked hard to keep his extended family on the straight and narrow.
Floyd had a great life. He spent his career doing what he most loved. He was the ultimate handyman, fixing and creating many projects for family, friends, and the community. He loved traveling to the Pacific coast with friends, attending wine and cheese festivals, listening to good music, drinking stout microbrews, retelling all his aviation near-miss stories, and owning German shepherd dogs.
Floyd is survived by his brother, Gerald King, of Anaheim California; his son Brian King, of Columbia, Illinois and Brian’s children Justin and Lauren; his daughter Susan Carmon (King), her husband Joe Carmon, and their sons Samuel and Eric, of Folsom, California; and his brothers-in-law Marvin Anders and his wife Sondra of Fontana, California and Phillip Bruni of Spokane, Washington, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Floyd will be remembered June 7, 2024 at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock, California, beginning with military honors in front of the church at 9:45 am, followed by a memorial service at 10:00 am in the church, and ending with a gathering at Dust Bowl Brewery in Turlock to toast Floyd’s final flight. Please share your memories at www.AllenMortuary.com.
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