Charles King
Charles “Charlie” Ordway King, a prominent Chattanooga architect, died on October 7, 2015, at Memorial Hospital. He was 65.
Born March 21, 1950, to Joseph and Christine King, Charlie attended The Bright School and Baylor School, excelling as an athlete. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent summers near Portland, Maine, as a Junior Maine Guide. He went on to attend North Carolina State University on a soccer scholarship before completing his degree at The University of Tennessee, where he played on the school’s first rugby team and later served as captain. After completing an advanced architecture degree at Cornell University and writing a thesis on the restoration of Portland’s waterfront, Charlie soon settled in Tennessee and resided there for the rest of his life.
Charlie met Susan Driscoll while both were architecture students in Knoxville. Susan’s penchant for the arts and adventure as well as her welcoming and nurturing spirit made them a perfect match; they married in 1977. The couple started their professional career in Memphis and spent time traveling Europe and the Middle East before launching King Design Group in Chattanooga. For decades, they worked in tandem, conceiving and completing designs for Bessie Smith Hall, UTC, and numerous hotels and local landmarks. Their creative partnership culminated with the old Chattanooga Electric Co. warehouse on Chestnut Street, which they lovingly restored and converted to a modern office and home.
The King family often traveled to Higgins Beach, Maine, where their family home anchored summers full of Len Libby’s ice cream, walks on the beach, and of course lobster parties. The lobster parties migrated South and became an annual tradition. Friends and family donning bibs gathered around long tables adorned with red-and-white tablecloths and laden with fresh lobster flown in from Maine. Always entertaining, Charlie continued to host parties and Thanksgiving dinners during the past ten years.
Charlie was a member of First Presbyterian Church. He was also a member of the Mayflower Society and the American Institute of Architects, a weekly fixture at Downtown Rotary Club meetings, and a familiar sight on the courts at Manker Patten Tennis Center.
Charlie’s daughters will remember his tireless laugh, his positive attitude, and his inquisitive nature. Whether riding bikes on Higgins Beach or giving an impromptu twilight tennis lesson after a long day of work, Charlie persisted in his encouragement and smile to the end.
His family would like to recognize the nurses and staff of the Memorial Hospital MICU for their extraordinary care during his final days.
Charlie was preceded in death by his wife, Susan; son, Charles Arthur; mother, Christine Corey King; sister, Betsy King; and brother, Joseph “Jimmy” King II.
He is survived by his daughters, Mary Elizabeth King, San Francisco, and Christine (Alex) Shoaf, Nashville; and father, Joseph King, Signal Mountain; as well as a host of incredible friends in Chattanooga and Maine.
A private graveside service will be held on Friday, Oct. 9, at Forest Hills Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to two causes very dear to Charlie: the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center (Memorial Hospital) or the Winslow Homer Studio Campaign (Portland Museum of Art).
Visit www.heritagechattanooga.com to share words of comfort to the family.
Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road.