Obituary of Marjorie Lee King

Marjorie Lee King:

Santa Cruz native and lifelong resident Marjorie Lee King passed at Dominican Hospital on Tuesday, January 16, less than a week after her 88^th birthday.  Marjorie suffered an episode of acute meningitis on Easter Sunday in 2011.  After recovering from the initial coma, she remained alert but bedridden at her home and was in declining health since then. 

Mrs. King was born to Olga A. Peterson and Richard L Haynie in Santa Cruz at the county hospital on January 11, 1931. Olga worked as a seamstress and Richard was a plumber. She was a leader in school sports, student government, and was well known all over town. Her great love was music, and sang and performed in talent venues all around Santa Cruz with ensembles that included relatives and friends. Initial piano lessons from her uncle Clarence Peterson led to lessons from others, such that her skill at the keyboard was came to be admired by all. 

She married shortly after high school, to John F Root, also of Santa Cruz, but they divorced after having two sons David and Daniel.  While living as a single parent on Cayuga St and raising two boys alone, she rekindled an old high school flame to marry Sergeant Samuel W. King in the mid-fifties, and moved to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts where they stayed for several years.  Her third child, Sarah Lee, was born there.  Over Samuel’s active duty years, besides Massachusetts, they also lived in South Carolina, the Azores, and Marin county before Samuel’s retirement from the Air Force in 1970, after which they returned to their home on Almar Avenue. Sam didn’t retire completely; after leaving the USAF he worked at the Beach Boardwalk for thirty years.

Due to Marjorie’s desire for self-improvement, her education progressed from correspondence courses completed at home, all the way through college, and was capped off with a Master of Education from San Francisco State and a credential in elementary education.  For the next few decades she taught at various Santa Cruz schools.

Her pastimes included sewing and needlework, examples of which cover the walls of her home.  Many of her projects were prizewinners at the county fair in Watsonville.

Mrs. King is survived by her husband Samuel, son David J. Root of Aptos, California, son Daniel E Root of Oakdale, California, daughter Sarah Lee Poteete of Sparks, Nevada, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.