King, Dudley Aaron;age 66, went home to be with the Lord on
Wednesday, August 2, 2017, after a valiant battle with a long-term
illness. His devotion to his family and faith in God supported him in his
struggle and ultimately gave him peace. Dudley attended North Carolina
State University and later The University of Tennessee where he met his
wife, Cindy of Tullahoma. After college they moved back to Tullahoma
where he began working at Harton Mental Health Center. He later worked at
the Tennessee Girls Vocational School until he took a job with UTC
Aerospace Systems where he worked for over 30 years. Dudley was a proud
member of the United Steel Workers Union and Wesley Heights United
Methodist Church. Dudley was born to the late Raymond and Bess King of
Bristol, Virginia on May 16, 1951. He was preceded in death by his
nephew, Todd Heath of Bristol, and his parents-in-law, J.D. and Nell Coop
of Tullahoma. Dudley is survived by his wife, Cindy; his daughter, Dr.
Erin and son-in-law Ben Murray of Tullahoma; and five grandchildren, Mary
James, Callie Bess, Lily Mae, Jude, and Annabeth Erin; his brother, Eddie
and sister-in-law, Renette King of Bristol, Virginia; his sister Paula
and her husband Terry Heath of Zellwood, Florida; and his step-mother,
Mary King of Elizabethton, Tennessee. Dudley loved his family and adored
his grandchildren. He loved watching and attending UT, and later, Auburn
football games with friends, and traveling with his wife and family to
the mountains and the beach. He was known for his witty sense of humor,
reverence for puns, vast stockpile of corny jokes, and making a long
story longer. Dudley had an immense propensity for employing a
substantial vocabulary in his dialogs with relatives and acquaintances.
He always had a twinkle in his eye and a love for the people in his life.
When he wasn’t listening to Southern Rock n’ Roll or Bluegrass, he was
discussing the history or back-story of a band or song. Dudley loved life
and he could wear the heck out of a hat. The family wants to send a
special thank you to his loving caregivers, June Jackson and Regina
Johnson and love and thanks to his doctor, Marc Lee. Visitation will be
held on Saturday, August 5th, 2017 from 12:00-2:00pm at Wesley Heights
United Methodist Church, 2101 East Lincoln Street, Tullahoma, TN with
funeral services to immediately follow at 2:00pm with Rev. Jim Fields
officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Randy, Andrew, and Jaylen Amacher, Terry Heath, Marc
Lee, Ben Murray, Larry Burton. Honorary pallbearers will be Tim Heath,
David King, Scott Harrison and Randy Cox. For those who wish, the family
asks that donations be made in Dudley’s memory to Alive Hospice
(www.alivehospice.com) or Wesley Heights, United Methodist Church.
Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
