John Allen King

John Allen King, 70, of Chester, VA, and formerly of Roanoke, VA, joined our Creator on Monday, June 22, 2020. John had many accomplishments, his greatest being an extraordinary husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was a retired US Army Master Sergeant and a Vietnam Veteran who served honorably from 1968 to 1993. Shortly after retiring from the military, John earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University. He then became a chef instructor at the MWR Culinary Academy on Fort Lee, VA, for 10 years and kept up his baking skills at Walmart until he retired completely in May 2020.
As a certified executive chef and an accomplished pastry master, John was passionate about providing the best culinary experience for his family and friends. He also enjoyed traveling with his wife, gardening and watching old westerns and Spanish soap operas.
John was preceded in death by: his parents Owen W. and Maureen T. King; sisters Evelyn King Turner and Claudia King Pannell; and brothers Owen A. and Rudolph L. King.
Those left to cherish his memory are: wife Ornella Barbieri King; children Melissa “Misha” King, Allen (wife Cymele) and Adam (wife Kristi) King; grandsons Allen and Michael King; sister Ann King; numerous nieces and nephews in the US and Italy; best friend Mark Adams; and extended family and friends in the US and Italy.
A service with military honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 3, 2020, at Sunset Memorial Park in Chester, VA. All family and friends are welcome to attend; however social distancing and mask protocols will be required. The family will not be hosting guests at their homes due to the pandemic.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in memory of Mr. John A. King at: https://donate.lls.org/lls