Robert Michael King
Port Townsend, Wash.
Aug. 1, 1939 – Apr. 16, 2017
Mike passed away on April 16, 2017 at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Wash., surrounded by family. The immediate cause of death was bacterial meningitis. He was 77 years old.
Mike was born August 1, 1939 in Georgetown, South Carolina to Otis Bascom King and Gladys Agnes McBride. Otis Bascom was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and worked for the International Paper Company. Gladys attended Florida State University and was a homemaker. Mike was raised in Croton-on-Hudson, New York and Panama City, Florida, where he graduated from Bay County High School. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from UCLA and a doctorate in Social Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he met his beloved wife of 49 years, Johanna Brawley. They were married in 1968.
He and Johanna devoted a large part of their lives to travel, starting with Ethiopia in 1968, where they taught for a year at Haile Selassie I University in Addis Ababa. Upon returning to the United States, they worked at Mendocino State Hospital from 1969 to 1971. They then settled in Chico, California, where Mike taught psychology at California State University Chico for 23 years. During his time at Chico State, he taught and mentored many students, particularly those in the Honors program; co-founded the university’s Survey Research Center; and engaged in his own research and scholarship. In 1994, he retired as Full Professor of Psychology.
Upon retirement, he and Johanna moved to Port Townsend where his primary volunteer activity was with the Schooner Adventuress, which is operated by Sound Experience. He also served a number of years on the Fort Worden advisory board and volunteered for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Habitat for Humanity. He was an avid sailor and enjoyed all the joys and drama of boat ownership. He loved living in Port Townsend and took full advantage of the opportunities to enjoy the music and film festivals, to socialize with dear friends, and to engage in morning conversations at Velocity coffee shop on topics from Tai Chi to Quentin Tarantino.
Mike fully embraced life, especially extensive travel to places as far flung as Cuba and Venice. He was a lifelong learner who read voraciously, enjoyed outdoor adventures such as kayaking and hiking, and created beautiful things ranging from woodworking projects to fabulously plated foods. He had a sharp wit and mischievous sense of humor. One of Mike’s most pronounced traits was his support of those around him and his conviction that those he loved could do anything. He raised two daughters to believe that no goal was ever out of their reach. Over his lifetime, Mike cultivated a wide range of devoted friends who transcended time and distance - from childhood through retirement.
He is survived by his wife Johanna King; his brother Brian King (Michel Crandall) of Avila Beach, CA; his daughters Sigrid King (Jim Kelly) of Pittsburgh, PA and Anya King (Alex Hill) of Portland, OR; and his grandson Cailan of Portland, OR. He is also survived by his step-grandsons Barney Kelly (Molly Kelly) and Toby Kelly of Pittsburgh, PA.
Mike served the Adventuress community as a board member, volunteer crew and maintenance man, and tireless champion of the youth environmental mission aboard the Schooner. Memorial donations in Mike’s name can be made to Sound Experience to support scholarships for children and teens to participate in educational programs: https://www.soundexp.org/support/donate/.
