Charles Francis "Frank" King Obituary (1928

Charles Francis “Frank” King was born in 1928 in Somerville, NJ. His father was Colonel JC King, director of the Western Hemisphere at the CIA. His mother was Cristina Pernas King. From the ages of 6 to 16, he lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the 1950s, inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s WaldenPond, he walks away from a cushy job his father had procured him at a bank in Chile to live a life of simplicity in the Cordillera mountains. In the 1960s, he and his future wife, Regina Marion Nielsen, join an Ashram in Southern France founded on the principle of non-violence by Lanza del Vasto, the Sicilian prince who had followed in the steps of Gandhi. After a few years, he sets out alone on foot from Avignon, France to Rome, Italy to be baptized in the Vatican. He receives his communion from Padre Pio, the Catholic priest with the stigmata in his hands and feet. In 1973, upon hearing that he could hold the Priesthood himself, he joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his wife, and six months later he becomes the first branch president in Antibes, France. In the mid-1990s, while Frank and Marion serve their first mission in Frankfurt, Germany, he becomes First Counselor to Temple President Wondra. During his mission, he writes his children a series of letters which become his first book “Ponderings.” They move to Provo, UT to be closer to them and their grandchildren but soon, newly-appointed mission president Wondra reaches out to them to join him and his spouse on their mission in Vienna, Austria. He later self-publishes several more books where he unpacks meaningful life lessons, insights, and Scriptures. He spends several years studying the chiastic structure of the Scriptures thus revealing hidden meanings and parallels that bring more depth to his understanding. Without the proper credentials and training, he struggles to be taken seriously by academic circles but he’s undeterred. He studies the Mormon canon, physics, scientific and less scientific health studies, his many health experiments using his own body, the nature of God and man, all to create a fearless theology and worldview which is very much his own. His latest book is filled with Plato-like discussions between teacher-student characters that build to his realizations. Just as he believed in his own abilities to connect the dots, his most endearing quality was his unbridled enthusiasm for the talents and promise of each member of his family. He believed in all of us, thinking of each one of us as unique and special as he knew he was, but without the ego that often comes with that awareness. He believed in all of us. He was as rich as men become, abounding in intellectual energy, a generous supporter of our best ambitions. Whether you knew him for a lifetime or just a few seconds, he was eager to hear your story and share his own. Charles King is survived by his two children, Marie-Josée Stout (Doug) and Christopher King, and his six grandchildren Zoey, Natalie, Chloe, Lindsey, Frances, and Alexis. He was also a beloved grandfather to Adrienne, Erica, Brianna and Blake. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, April 7, 2023 at the Provo 3rd Ward Chapel, 1066 West 200 North, Provo, Utah. The family will receive friends from 9-9:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.