Kenneth F. King

Ken, Dr. King, or Dad to all who knew him, passed away peacefully at his home in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, on August 20, 2025, at 9:28 p.m. He was 83 years old.

Born September 28, 1941, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ken was the son of Charles Franklin King and Veda Marie King (née Dubei). He grew up with a love for learning, adventure, music, and conversation, qualities that remained constant throughout his life. After graduating from East High School in 1959, he studied pharmacy at the University of Utah, graduating in 1969 where he was a proud member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He went on to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., class of 1973. He also served in the Air Force Reserves as a young man.

Ken’s professional career as a dentist spanned four decades, from 1973 until his retirement in 2013, during which he was deeply respected and loved by his patients and colleagues. He also gave generously of his skills, volunteering for more than a decade at Salt Lake City’s 4th Street Clinic, and serving as part of the Brighton Ski Patrol Doctors in the 1980s and 1990s, combining his medical training with his love of skiing.

Dr. King’s professional life was only part of his story. He was the father of four sons and later welcomed a fifth through marriage. He was a man of many interests, living with enthusiasm and curiosity for a multitude of topics until the day of his passing. Ken was an avid traveler, a motorcycle rider, a lifelong skier on both snow and water, and a passionate dog owner whose beloved companions included Alfie the Standard Poodle, Annie the German Shorthair Pointer, and Sadie the Labrador.

Ken’s inquisitiveness was an inspiration to his family. He delighted in studying world history, chemistry, languages, mechanical curiosities, and most recently, the discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope. His Spanish, though charmingly elementary, was practiced at every opportunity — much to the amusement of native speakers who teased him with warmth. Even in his later years, he maintained a determined (if occasionally slow) interest in technology, often arriving at family visits with carefully typed lists of questions about computers and phones.

Friends and family remember Ken as a master conversationalist, never without an opinion and never without a story. He loved to flirt in a gentlemanly way, had a mischievous sense of humor (he was known, when splitting a restaurant check, to request that the extra penny be added to the other party’s bill), and cherished his adventures with friends and with his beloved wife, Tatiana. Together, Ken and Tatiana shared more than 24 years of marriage filled with travel, laughter, and companionship, a union he considered one of his proudest achievements.

As a father, Ken gave his sons a childhood of adventure and freedom: boat camping at Flaming Gorge, skiing the chutes and bumps at Brighton Resort, riding motorcycles, and spending countless hours in conversation enriched by his intellect and humor. He was immensely proud of their accomplishments, whether professional, academic, or athletic, and he was always openly proud to be their father.

Ken is survived by his wife, Tatiana King; his sons Charles R. King, Timothy J. (Janice) King, Benjamin K. King, Mitchell S. (Jessica) King, and Oleg (Lyudmila) Eidelman; and his grandchildren Ashlyn E., Hadden T., Frances E., Camden J., and Stanley R. King. He is also remembered fondly by extended family in Twin Falls, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A private funeral and memorial gathering will be held with his immediate family and closest friends. Those who knew Ken are invited to reach out to the family to share in both grief and the joyful memories of a life well lived.

Ken was a successful dentist, a man of broad intellect and unfettered curiosity, and a gentle and supportive father. He will be dearly missed, but never forgotten. His legacy lives on in every conversation, adventure, and laugh he inspired.