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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Hundreds Pay Respects to King

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
          Under a clear, blue New Mexico sky, as many as 2,000 people said goodbye to the matriarch of the King family on Thursday.
        Alice King died on Dec. 7 after suffering a massive stroke several days before at her Stanley home. She was later hospitalized at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.
        King, who began her life on a dairy farm only to become first lady of the state, was given a public funeral at the Moriarty High School gymnasium attended by hundreds and hundreds of well-wishers.
        Bleachers and folding chairs that filled the floor of the gymnasium were about two-thirds full of family and friends paying their final respects to the wife of former three-term Gov. Bruce King.
        Alice King's body lay in an open casket surrounded by large bouquets of colorful flowers. Two New Mexico State Police officers stood beside it with hands clasped in front and heads bowed.
        Shortly after 9 a.m., Bruce King, along with dozens of family members, walked slowly to the front of the gymnasium. King was escorted by Karen Preston, owner of Harris Hanlon Mortuary in Moriarty. At times during the service, the former governor appeared to glance at his wife's now-closed casket. At one point, Preston put her hand around the governor's shoulders while he wiped his eyes.
        "She may have been small in stature, but she stood tall in character," said the minister of the Stanley Union Church, Russell Lee, who officiated at the hour-long service.
        "You have to be a queen when you're married to a King."
        Then Lee spoke to the former governor.
        "Thank you, Bruce. You've been a loving soulmate to Alice for over 61 years."
        Many of those present clapped.
        At the end of the service a lone bagpipe player walked in front of officers from the New Mexico National Guard carrying the coffin. Bruce King and other family members followed. The music from the bagpipes slowly faded away as the entourage disappeared into the hallway.
        After the service, more than 1,000 people attended a reception held at the Moriarty Civic Center, said Phil Sisneros, spokesman for the Attorney General Gary King, son of Alice.
        Alice King was buried in the family's plot in Stanley.
        Among those present were many state and local political figures including Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Rep.-elect Martin Heinrich, former Gov. David Cargo, Public Regulation Commission Chairman Jason Marks, Moriarty Mayor Adan Encinias, District 2 Torrance County Commissioner Paul "Tito" Chavez, and Torrance County Magistrate Judge Steve Jones.