The OSA News Bulletin  

 
KING, Eric
November 1, 1937 – May 30, 2011

While writing one’s own obituary may appear unusual to say the least, I wanted to do so because I have been so fortunate in my life and wish to express my gratitude.

We are all the product of two things – genetics and the environment.  We have no control over the selection of our parents, yet they provide the environment in which we grow up.  They shape our values and mould our character.

I was born in Mansfield, England.  My mother and father, Olive and George King, died on September 25, 1970 and February 13, 1996 respectively.  My father was a coal miner, my mother worked in service.

I immigrated to this great country arriving May 9, 1957, at the age of 19, and settled in Toronto. In the spring of 1958 I moved to Saskatchewan and had the good fortune to meet a young lady in Bradwell.  We were married September 29, 1962, and Shirley Pryor and I have been partners travelling the road of life for the past 53 years.

Shirley and I were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Lisa Parsons (Harold) of Camden East, Ontario, and Michelle Bereska (Kyle) of Spruce Grove, Alberta.  They in turn have given us five beautiful grandchildren: Elli, Gavin, Robyn, George and Lucy.  They have brought much joy into our lives.

During my career I had the good fortune to work at something I enjoyed.  I was the Executive Director of the Canadian Soccer Association for 17 years, during the period 1968 – 1985, at which time I assumed the position of Vice President Operations & Marketing for the Coaching Association of Canada, where I worked for the following 17 years.

During this 34-year career in sport I had the opportunity to travel extensively visiting every continent, and making lifelong friends along the way.

Shirley and I retired in 2002 and we moved to the Loyalist Country Club Community in Bath, Ontario.  Here we have been surrounded by family, caring friends and neighbours.

I leave behind my wife, Shirley, who has been the captain of our team, intensely loyal to me, our family and friends, and a superb manager of our personal affairs.  She has always been there for me, our children and grandchildren, and she knows just how much we all love her.

Shirley and I couldn’t be more proud of Lisa and Michelle, and they too have been fortunate to find two good young men, Harold and Kyle, with whom they are sharing their life.

I would like to thank our family Dr. Nancy Overington, Dr. Nazik Hammad of KGH and the staff at Kingston General Hospital Cancer Clinic for their compassion and care.

I have donated my remains to the Department of Anatomy at Queens University with the hope that aspiring doctors may learn more about my particular cancer.

Friends are invited to Bath United Church, Monday June 6, 2011 at 11:00am, not to mourn my passing, but to celebrate my life.

“We rise again in the faces of our children. The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” — Cicero  106BC – 43BC

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