Joe Mac King- Arroyo Grande Math Teacher, CA

8/3/2012

Please Feel Free To Leave A Comment Or A Memory You Had With Mr. King~

November 1949 ~ August 2010

November 1949 ~ August 2010 Joe King passed from this life Friday, Aug. 20, 2010, with his wife, Benesta, at his side. Joe was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and came to California at age 12. He graduated from Cal Poly with degrees in math and education and taught in the math department at Arroyo Grande High School for 28 years. During college, and until his retirement in 2006, he also worked at Hearst Castle as a guide/supervisor. Always an avid fisherman, Joe made trips to Alaska and Florida with friends to follow his dream. To his many fishing buddies, he was a familiar face at Virg''s Fishin'' in Morro Bay, where he worked part time. Joe is survived by his wife, Benesta; daughter, Kimberley of Arcata, Calif.; four beloved cats; and many, many loving and loyal friends. Please bring your memories and stories to share at a celebration of Joe''s life at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, at the home of friends Don and Evelyn Pierce. Call 461-3168 for more information. Burial will be at sea at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to North County Humane Society.

5 Comments

Sheri Furness

9/12/2012 02:54:24 pm

He was a good Math teacher.

Laurie Gregory Johnson

4/27/2013 01:59:15 pm

Oh... I didn't know Mr. King had died.... On my first day of freshman year, first period, he said, "This is my classroom. My desks. My pencil sharpener. I will let you borrow them from me for the hour." Scared the crap out of me, but boy, I learned math! 7 years later, I walked in to an intensive Hearst Castle guide training class at Cal Poly, and there he was- he was our trainer! He had been guiding at the castle for years, and again, boy did we learn! He had an adorable 4 year-old daughter the time, and he was a great dad! It was fun to know him in these very different settings... He was a special man....

Sean Lehman

12/27/2014 04:37:40 am

My first introduction to Algebra when I was a Freshman was in Mr Kings class. Not only did he know his math, he knew how to teach it.

Dawn. Clark

10/21/2017 09:50:32 am

Mr. King was exceptional and I’m so sad he died so young. He taught several us in our advanced math class and while he was strict he also gave us the ability to group learn. He always answered our questions thoughtfully and never made us feel less than. My favorite HS math teacher -and he certainly gave me the confidence to do well in math at UC Berkeley. We never got tired of asking him if he was “joe-king” when he gave us a bunch of homework- although I’m sure he had heard it a million times... he was always a good sport.

Steven Johnson

12/5/2017 04:46:05 pm

Me and a close friend took one of his Math classes. We knew the material well and it came easy. We got to goofing around a bit too frequently and he kicked us both out one day. Towards the end of class he came out and gave us a lecture about being better than that and how we were setting a poor example for other students. It has proven to be a life lesson for me. I appreciate Mr King in my life.

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Joe Mac King- Arroyo Grande Math Teacher, CA

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