Robert Nelson King

1936 – 2021

Feeding Hills – Robert Nelson King passed away peacefully at Governors Center in Westfield on the morning of Tuesday, January 26, 2021.  He was a simple man who enjoyed life and loved being outdoors.  Every day you could find him walking somewhere.  He spent countless hours hiking on Provin Mountain.  He resided in Feeding Hills his entire life and spent many summers working the family business on Congamond Lakes North Pond at Kings Sandy Beach.  He and his father, Lawrence, made the first pair of water skis on Congamond Lake.  He then learned to ski and would teach anyone who was interested. Robert formed a group that performed ski shows and even built a floating ski jump.  The King family built plywood boats.  Robert found plans for a flat bottom boat that looked like a hydroplane, which he built with his father and uncle.  The family began to build racing boats with mercury engines, and he would race them.  His talent for building extended to cars as well, he bought a 1939 Ford Business Coupe, when he got his driver's license, and built a hot rod with a modified 59AB engine with dual carbs and dual exhaust.  His greatest enjoyment of life was riding the trails on his many dirt bikes over a 40-year span.  He was a longtime member of the New England Trail Riders Association and helped as a trail cutter throughout the North East for Endouro class riders.  When Robert was young, he enjoyed roller skating at Babb's Roller Rink and later in life would go to all the local classic car shows and was an avid reader.  He went to the University of Florida in Gainesville and received a degree in English literature.  He worked for Terry Turbine where he wrote instruction manuals for all the equipment they built.  Some of which were turbines for generating emergency standby power for Nuclear Power Stations.  He retired in 1981.  He was predeceased by his parents Lawrence King in 1964 and Nadia Hill King in 2006.  He leaves his brother Arthur King and his wife Nancy of Crossville, TN and his sister Laurie Rocke of Feeding Hills and many nieces and nephews.  He also leaves his best friend Dale Boglisch and wife Diane.  He was married briefly to Elsa Parseigian of Albany, NY.  He was a quiet, private man who will be greatly missed. Those who knew him best will remember seeing him in this straw hat with feathers in it, walking to Feeding Hills Center every Sunday to get his paper.  The family is grateful for the care he received by the 2 ^nd Floor Staff at Governors Center, a special thanks to his nurse, Heather.  A private funeral will be held, and the Agawam Curran-Jones Funeral Home is handling all arrangements.  In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation.