Jan 4

Jan 4 Former Citizen of the Year Adrian King passes, "We lost a piece of our heart"

Photo courtesy of Facebook

Lenoir County lost an integral part of the community with the passing of Mr. Adrian King who died Monday after being treated for COVID at UNC Lenoir since Wednesday.

“Adrian was our Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year for 2019,” said Kinston Lenoir Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Craig Hill. “His work with Pride of Kinston and the KARE organization in this community have been second to none.”

In addition to being named Citizen of the Year, King was an executive director of Pride of Kinston and a past president of the Kinston Rotary Club. King also served as a member of the Lenoir Memorial Hospital Board of Directors and a past chairman of the Lenoir County Historical Association. King was also the director of Kinston Area Recovery Effort (KARE).

"Adrian King, whose last career was as the Director of KARE, was one of the most talented and intelligent men I have known,” said County Commissioner June Cummings. “In addition to his organizational skills, team building abilities, and musical talent, he was also well loved throughout the community. He will be missed in many sectors and I am thankful that he was my friend."

A graduate of Grainger High School in 1960, King went on to Wake Forest University and served two years in the Army. King retired from Coca-Cola in 2003 and returned to Kinston.

“He always had a giving heart and came back here after he retired to rebuild this community to something special,” said Hill.

Hill’s sentiment is echoed by current Pride Executive Director, Leon Steele.

“Adrian King was a long-beloved member of our community who was kind and supportive,” said Steele. “Adrian was a big help to me in my transition to the position of Executive Director of Pride of Kinston and I appreciated it. He was a good soul and will be missed and remembered by many.

One of King’s Pride projects downtown involved the Maplewood Cemetery project begun under the buddy Ritch administration in lower South Queen Street. After a hiatus, the project is currently reactivated and near completion.

“He has a big part of the community,” said Hill. “We lost a piece of our heart.”

In a statement issued today, The Lenoir County Association of Congregations mourns the passing of Adrian King, executive director of KARE (Kinston Area Recovery Effort). Through Adrian's tireless service, so many people in our area have had their lives and homes restored after hurricanes and flooding in recent years. Adrian was a good and faithful servant with a giant servant's heart. "For all the saints, who from their labors rest..."

King will be missed by all the lives he’s impacted.

"Adrian was a man who loved people and his life's work was to make life better, more enjoyable, more productive, more beautiful for others," said Tom Warren, the rector of St. Mary's Church. "His faith in Jesus was foundational to how he understood his life's purpose. His effervescent joy made so many groups in this community as vibrant as they were and he will be missed dearly."