Stephen Austin King

Stephen Austin King, 83, died peacefully at his home in Centennial, Colorado on August 9, 2024. Steve was born November 12, 1940 in Los Angeles to M. Austin and Lillian (Lipstreu) King and grew up in the southern California area. Steve and his wife of more than 60 years, Milicent Morimoto, met on a blind date in college and were married on August 24, 1963 in Los Angeles. The family moved to Colorado in 1977 where he worked in banking and finance until retirement in 2001. “Papa” will be missed by his children, Ray (Sue) King, George (Roina) King, David (Nikki) King, and Karyn (Jim) Knoblauch. His grandchildren include Katie (Jordan), Jen, Cass, Ainsley King, and James, Peter, and Lillian Knoblauch, but we all know the apple of his eye was his great-granddaughter, Emily.

Steve will be remembered as a character who was often overly dressed in his trademark powder blue tuxedo or in crazy 60’s pants to play bridge. His grandchildren filled his days with giggles, naps, and mac-n-cheese at Papa Daycare. We adults knew the sarcastic and sassy Steve who embraced being the life of the party, much to the chagrin of Millie. He was a lifelong baseball enthusiast, youth sports advocate, and his children’s greatest fan as the loudest person in the stands. Steve was forever grateful to The American Red Cross for their leadership camp where he learned that his unorthodox way of thinking was an asset. His skill for woodworking on home projects, gifts, pens, yoyos, and other beautiful creations are daily reminders of the love he poured into all that he did. He was a devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

In lieu of gifts or flowers, donations to The American Red Cross Leadership Development Camp Scholarship Fund (Los Angeles Region) in Steve’s honor are appreciated (link coming soon).

Please make check payable to:

"American Red Cross Los Angeles"

Memo Section: "LDC Donation"

Send checks to: 

American Red Cross Los Angeles

ATTN: Operations Department (for LDC)

1450 S. Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90021