Dr. Christopher King

CHRISTOPHER MIDDLETON KING, M.D.

"Of those to whom much is given, much is expected" (Luke 12:48).
Swinging a hammer on a Habitat for Humanity house. Hosting a Rotary exchange student. Leading a medical service trip to Nepal. Seeing eye patients for free. Playing tag with his kids in the backyard. Making furniture for others in his woodworking shop. Hanging lights at the Firehouse Theatre. Discussing world issues with his adult children. Learning new skills well into his later years. Legislative advocacy for Alzheimer's research.

These are just a few of the ways Christopher Middleton King is being remembered by his family and friends, after he died of complications from pneumonia late in the afternoon on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Copeland Oaks, surrounded by family.
He'll also be remembered as a good listener and questioner, a committed parent and husband, and a great "ham" whose sense of humor got increasingly dry in his later years, often joking with the nursing and hospice staff who cared for him.
Dr. Christopher M. King became the fourth member of the King family to become affiliated with the specialty medical practice in Alliance which is now The Ohio Eye Alliance, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, uncle and father. Chris was born in Cleveland, Ohio, May 11, 1934. He graduated from Mount Union College in 1957 and from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1961. Following his internship at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, he completed a residency in ophthalmology at Ohio State University Hospital in 1965. He then joined the staff at the Alliance Eye and Ear Clinic, but was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966, serving until 1968 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He returned to the clinic in 1968, and served there until his retirement in January of 1995.
Dr. King's career brought medical care to a variety of settings outside of private practice. After medical school at Ohio State, Chris served with CARE-Medico in Algeria in 1964; was drafted and served in the Army at Ft. Campbell, KY, 1966-1968, receiving an honorable discharge, then reenlisted with the Army Reserves as a Lt. Colonel, serving in the Kingdom of Tonga in 1987 under the auspices of the US State Dept. He and Marilyn did medical service work in Nepal, 1990-1992, and he taught medicine in Viet Nam in 1994.
In addition, he was a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, the American Board of Ophthalmology, the Aerospace Medical Association, the Society of Military Ophthalmologists, the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, past president of the Stark County Medical Society, a member of the American Medical Association, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and the recipient of an Ophthalmology Specialty Fellowship.
He enjoyed theater and public speaking, an actor, lighting designer and Life Member of Carnation City Players, and was a member of Filibusters. He combined his theatre and medical backgrounds in a 7-year radio career at WFAH on a program he created, "Medical News & Views" and a 3-year television career at WNEO/WEAO, on a medical call-in show, "Medical Feedback."
He had many hobbies that he pursued with great energy: Scuba diving, carpentry and electrical work, flying light aircraft on fondly-remembered family vacations, photography and videography, cross-country skiing, sailing, cycling, choral singing, trumpet playing with the JR4, tree farming and conservation, and running a bed and breakfast in Minerva with Marilyn for a number of years.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marilyn (Jackson) of Sebring, their three children, Richard D. King (Linda Kopecky) of Longmont, CO, Christpher J. King (Laura) of Northfield, OH, and Lisa Boyce (Mark) of Canton; 8 grandchildren, Erica and Michael King, Elijah, Samuel, and Gabriel King, Alyssa and Liam Boyce, and Kyle Oleksy (Jacklyn); a cousin, Judy King Douglass (Sam) of Pittsburgh, PA; and many other loving, extended family, including a nearly-adopted daughter after she was a Rotary exchange student, Silvia Molina, of La Paz, Bolivia.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Douglass S. King and Kathryn M. King.
His body is being donated to Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown.
Friends may call from 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, January 8, 2017, at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home.
A celebration of life service will be held Friday, February 3, at 4 p.m. at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home in Alliance, with the Revs. Diane Shirey and David Parry co-officiating.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Hospice of the Valley 5190 Market St. Youngstown, OH 44512/ www.hospiceofthevalley.com, Alzheimers Association of Greater Eastern Ohio 70 W. Streetsboro St. Suite 201 Hudson, OH 44236 or the Oaks Foundation Memory Lane 715 S. Johnson Road, Sebring, OH 44672/www.copelandoaks.com.
Arrangements are by Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, 75 S. Union Ave., Alliance, Ohio.