Rodney (Rod) Wayne King

Rodney (Rod) Wayne King, 73 of Junction City, KS passed away on Monday, March 21, 2022, at his home.

Rod was born May 26, 1948, in Phillipsburg, KS to Wayne & Patricia (Henderson) King. The family moved from Phillipsburg to Liberal, KS in 1953. He graduated from Liberal High School in 1966.

Rod married Lesley Valerius on May 21, 1972. They welcomed their son Andrew in 1976.

He is survived by his wife Lesley of the home, son Andrew (Ashley) King of Junction City, and 3 granddaughters, Mallory, Rory & Cameron King of Junction City. His sister Janet (Roger) Bird of Kismet, brother, Tracy (Debbie) King of Liberal, KS, as well as numerous nieces, nephews & cousins.

He joined the US Navy 1968 where he became a member of the construction battalion (Seabees). After leaving the Navy in 1970, he returned to Liberal to work for Light & King plumbing which later became King Enterprises of which he later became co-owner until his retirement in 2014. He and Lesley then moved to Junction City, KS to be near their son and family.

An avid sportsman, Rod enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing golf. He was a longtime member of the Liberal Country Club, the SW Anglers Bass Fishing Club, the SW Kansas Catbackers and was a lifetime member of the VFW. Rod was a supporter of Kansas State Athletics & spent numerous Saturdays tailgating & playing washers with friends & family.

A memorial service will be  at 11 a.m., Monday, March 28th at the First Presbyterian Church with Pastor Tim Maguffee. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the memorial service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Jennifer Ash Memorial Scholarship at Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46208 or left in care of Johnson Funeral Home. Dr. Ash’s family graciously donated her organs, with Rod receiving a lung. This transplant extended Rod’s life for an additional 14 years.