James “Jim” Anthony King, 87, passed away on December 31, 2024. He was at home surrounded by his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. Jimmy was born in Norfolk on November 24, 1937, to John Thomas King, Sr. and Jennie Elizabeth Shalhoup King. Jimmy’s father, known as “Johnny”, lived an adventurous life serving in the Cavalry chasing…
Continue ReadingJames “Jim” Anthony King, 87, passed away on December 31, 2024. He was at home surrounded by his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. Jimmy was born in Norfolk on November 24, 1937, to John Thomas King, Sr. and Jennie Elizabeth Shalhoup King. Jimmy’s father, known as “Johnny”, lived an adventurous life serving in the Cavalry chasing Pancho Villa, the Coast Guard in Manila, the Army Air Force, the US Navy, and then became a Civil Servant until his retirement. Johnny held Jennie in high regard. When he couldn’t afford to buy her roses, he planted a rose bush for her. Jimmy’s mother, Jennie, was a beautiful, petite, Lebanese woman who raised beautiful children, loved her family with every fiber of her being, and she was an outstanding cook. She and Johnny were truly in love, and when he passed away, she continued to love him until they were reunited nearly 25 years later.
James A. King was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Patricia Ann Torrence King; a dear brother Richard “Dickie” D. King and his wife Chris; and sisters-in-law Helen Faye King, and Victoria “Vickie” Torrence Dickerson. Left to cherish his memory are his daughters, Laura King Hughes (Herb), and Michelle King Jones (Joe); four grandchildren, Jennie, Jordan, Elizabeth, and Grace; two great-grandchildren, Meredith and Damon; two brothers, John “Jack” T. King, Jr, and Robert “Bobby” E. King (Mary Kay); two sisters, Patricia Sue “Suzy” King, and Joyce King Bennett; and many nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law, and dear friends. Jim was raised in Lambert’s Point on 47th street. He attended James Madison Elementary School, Blair Junior High, and Maury High School. Jimmy wasn’t wealthy while growing up, yet he was rich in so many ways. He reminisced often of the abundance of extended family and his many friends in the neighborhood, including a Lebanese community who supported one another. One such story was when he met his lifelong friend, Jimmy Perry, for the first time when he was four and a half years old. Years later, Jimmy Perry would be a groomsman in Jim’s wedding. To occupy their time, kids in the neighborhood would often build things out of scrap wood, and sometimes attach wheels to it and ride it through the neighborhood. They might even build a small engine to give their contraption power. They used whatever they could find. While still a very young boy, Jim would travel with friends for what seemed like a very long distance for a kid, taking the ferry over the James River to visit the Mariners Museum.
Jimmy survived his incredibly interesting and fulfilling childhood, and became a man of many interests and talents. While still a teenager working at a grocery store, he was offered a job on a pilot boat. Pilot boats in those days were essential to the safety of shipping traffic in the massive Hampton Roads maritime commerce. Eventually, he and his buddy, Robert Pearson, joined the Navy together and had a great deal of fun in boot camp. Dad recalled many stories of those days such as never having learned to swim. When it was his turn to jump into the pool during basic training, he simply sank to the bottom and waited to be fished out, “they weren’t going to let me drown.” When basic training was over, Jim was sent to Key West to Fleet Sonar School. His buddy was sent to a less desirable location, and Jim went to paradise. That still garnered a laugh after all of these years. He remained close friends with Robert for many years. There are countless fascinating stories of Jim’s time serving on the USS Kirkpatrick, an Edsall Class Destroyer Escort named for Cpt. Thomas Kirkpatrick who was killed while serving on the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. These stories are best told by Jim, who could tell a great one, and have you on pins and needles awaiting the climax. Occasionally he expressed regret in not making a career of his Naval Service, serving from 1956-1960, but he decided that he would marry a woman whom he had long admired. He first spotted her while working at a grocery store when she was around 9 years old, and he was 13. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and so he left the military behind to marry Patricia Ann Torrence 10 years after he fell in love. Jim’s family became Pat’s family as she loved them as if they were her own. Jim admired Pat’s father, Harold R. Torrence, a Navy Chief who served during WWII and beyond. They raised two children, and Jim was an attentive father. He coached his daughter’s softball teams, attended all of their band concerts and marching band events, and he was an extraordinary cook doing the majority of the cooking throughout his marriage. His daughters couldn’t ask for a more loving father.
Jim was an Aircraft Instruments Apprentice at the O & R Facility (NAS NORVA) from 1960- 1964, and he worked as an Aircraft Instruments Mechanic until 1974 at which time he became Foreman until his early retirement from NADEP in 1988. He became a Real Estate Agent and worked for several companies during his career from 1990 to around 2015.
After Pat’s retirement from her career at Siemen’s, she tried her hand as a travel agent, and so Pat and Jimmy traveled extensively taking many trips, and wonderful cruises with friends and family visiting many ports such as Gibraltar, Spain, and Portugal, a late season Inside Passage Alaskan cruise, and they even cruised through the Panama Canal. They visited Normandy, Scotland, England, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica, too many to list. Their friends, Ed and Sheila, gave Jim and Pat a wonderful tour of their hometown in the UK.
Aside from being a world traveler, Jimmy held many interests such as firearms. He was a lifetime member of the NRA, and a continuing member of Virginia Civil Defense League. He had a deep interest in WWII Aircraft, and Colonial Architecture. His home was a library as he read extensively on these topics of interest. Along the way, Jim developed a strong interest in pyrotechnics. He studied various chemicals, and when he became confident in his ability to safely blow stuff up, he made all sorts of fireworks and entertained his friends and family with brilliant displays. He and his family would find paper tubes at places such as grocery stores or even a tube-shaped shipping box, and these were used as mortars. When his friend, Jim Ryan, landed in a little hot water for similar behavior, Jim gave that interest up, but oh boy what memories we have of those days.
Jim was also a craftsman. When he wanted to remodel his home, he took a class on masonry and learned how to properly complete a project. He was very particular about getting it right, and keeping it authentic. He and Pat built a beautiful Georgian home on the Elizabeth River, and there is no other like it. He studied extensively before drawing up the blueprints for this masterpiece, and oversaw the entire build. Many workers came and went because they didn’t measure up to the level of craftsmanship required for this project, and so Jimmy completed all of the inside trim himself, and many other aspects could only be completed by Jim to maintain the integrity that he so desired.
Jim had a strong interest in politics, and as a result he wrote numerous Letters to the Editor of the Virginian-Pilot. I suggest looking them up within the archives. His letters were thought provoking, on topic, and emotional at times, but always he was on the side of America. The Pilot will surely miss his submissions. He enjoyed breakfast meetings at Mom’s restaurant in VA Beach where he would have political discussions, meet candidates running for various offices, all while enjoying an omelette.
Jimmy’s most intense interest is in the US Constitution, and he would keep a supply of Pocket Constitutions to hand out to those in need. Jimmy’s deepest wish is that each American, and every American-to-be, retain, read and understand the Constitution and the meaning of tyranny, and accept the US Constitution as the “Supreme Law of the Land”.
In keeping with Jim’s profound love of country and WWII aircraft, please join us as we remember and reminisce about the life of Jimmy King on January 25, from 6:00PM to 8:30PM at the Aviation Museum located at 1341 Princess Anne Road, VA Beach, 23457. Please come as you are to this informal, Open House-style remembrance of our dad, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend.
The family wishes to thank our friend and hospice nurse Diana Clukey for providing the comfort which dad needed in his final moments. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Aviation Museum in honor of James A. King. Jimmy had a deep and abiding love of country, and America has lost one of her greatest patriots.

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