Donald King

Donald Ray King, 81, of Arlington, Texas, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 15, 2018, after saying goodbye to family and many who served with him in ministry.

Donald was born in Cleburne on January 11, 1937, on his grandparents' farm on Grandview Highway. He grew up in Cleburne and moved to Fort Worth when he was 14 years old. There, Donald's family began attending Maddox Avenue Baptist Church, and Donald was saved in March of 1951, when Sunday school teacher Bill Renois led him to the Lord at his home on Avenue G in Poly.

Donald graduated from Poly High in 1955. He attended Arlington State College for a year before beginning his studies for the ministry at Bible Baptist Seminary (BBS), where he graduated in 1959. In August of that year, Donald accompanied Bob and Nadine Schmidt to France, where he studied French in preparation for missionary work in Africa. He returned to the USA in January 1961.

Donald and Gloria Mercer were married at Rolling Hills Baptist Church on August 25, 1961. They left for the mission field in October 1961, serving as missionaries in the Central African Republic for several years and in eastern Ethiopia for almost two years before having to leave because of political unrest in the country. After returning briefly to the USA, they departed for Spain in 1969 and served in various cities, mainly in the Valencia area. They remained in Spain until December 1989. In January 1990, Donald and Gloria started working in the offices of the Mt. Abarim Missions, where they served until retiring in November 2012. They enjoyed their 28 years of overseas mission work, yet were also thankful for their 22 years of service to the missionaries affiliated with Mt. Abarim.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Jewell King, and brothers Wendell (Vianne), Keith and Ted (Marsha) King. He is survived by wife Gloria Mercer King; brothers Gary King and Ricky King (Lenise); sister Caroline Tester (Mike); son Norman King (Tiffany) and daughter Elizabeth Doll (Kevin). He leaves behind grandchildren Catheryn King, Vanessa Henley (Joe), Stephen “Alex” King, Candice Doll, Samantha Doll and Jacob Doll; great-granddaughter Lucy Henley; as well as a host of nieces, nephews and loving friends.

Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Worth Baptist Church, 4900 Campus Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76119. Funeral services also will be held at Worth Baptist Church on Wednesday, September 19 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Worth Baptist Church mission projects.