Stephen Charles King, Jr.

Stephen Charles King, Jr, M.D., Ph.D., 78 of Kempner, TX, passed away on May 23, 2023, in Temple, TX.  He was born on December 26, 1944, in New Orleans, LA.

Graveside services will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at 2:30 pm.  A visitation will take place prior at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel from 1 to 2 pm.

He grew up in Hammond, LA, New Orleans, LA, and Fort Stockton, TX.  He graduated from Fort Stockton High School at the age of 16 (1961).  He then graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in mathematics (1966).  For his first job (1966-68), he did programming work for the Apollo mission at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in Clear Lake, TX.  From '68-77 he devoted himself to academic research.  As a graduate student, he studied interrelated aspects of ecology, biology, and chemistry with work spanning three institutions (Rice U, Princeton U, and U of Houston).  He ultimately received a Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry for his work with Dr. Robert L. Matcha, Ph.D. (U of Houston; 71-75), developing the scale of ideal charges useful in predicting dipole moments of diatomic molecules.  He continued this work as a postdoctoral fellow (75-77), publishing 5 papers on the Theory of the Chemical Bond (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1976, 98, 12, 3415-3432).  After his work in academia, he continued research in private industry.  He joined Biotics Research Corporation in Houston, TX (77-82) as Director of Research.  There, he made significant contributions to enzyme-based therapeutics among many others.  Concurrently, he served as Director of Scientific Research for the International Preventive Medicine Foundation.  That work led to the establishment of a clinical laboratory and informal study of osteopathic medicine with two local prominent physicians (Dr. Brennan and Dr. Ellis).  This work inspired him to study medicine formally in Juarez, Mexico, where he earned his MD in '85 from Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez.  From '85-2003 he worked as an independent scientific and nutritional consultant.  In 2003 he retired to Lampasas County, TX.  He enjoyed many creative endeavors: composing music for piano and performing for family and friends, writing, and inventing; and spending time with his friends, children, and grandchildren.  He married Alice Ann Arvin in 1966 in Houston, TX at the Rice U. Chapel.  They had two children, Stephen Charles King, III ('73) and Diana Dawn King ('76), and divorced in '77.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Stephen Charles King, Sr, DDS, and Jane Robbin Scott King, of Kempner, TX, and lifelong friend Eleanor J. Macdonald.  

Dr. King is survived by his first wife, Ann King of Somerset, TX; son, Stephen C. King III and wife Bethel May of Kempner, TX; daughter, Diana Dawn Deister, MD, and husband Christopher Allen Deister, Ph.D., of Brookline, MA; brother, Sam King; grandchildren, Aurora Jane Deister (16) and Bryce Donald Deister (13); and friends Bob Kishk, Esther Daniels, and others.