Kenneth Russell 'Kenny' King

Kenneth Russell King died peacefully at his home in Whitefish of heart failure Tuesday, July 12, 2005.

A resident of Montana since 1995, Ken was born in Fresno, Calif., and raised in Richmond, Calif.

Kenneth "Kenny" served the city and county of San Francisco with a distinguished 32-year career in the San Francisco Police Department until he retired in 1997. As an inspector, he worked undercover in the narcotics and special operations bureaus.

After Ken's retirement, he co-starred with David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino in "Jade," directed by William Friedkin. His other acting credits include the film "Big Eden" and various print and television advertisements. Ken was a member of the Screen Actors Guild until the time of his death.

Ken was easy going and is remembered for his sense of humor, friendly manner and his comical stories about his many life experiences. It wasn't uncommon, even among those closest to him, to be surprised by a funny story they had never heard before.

Once moving to Whitefish, Ken became a popular figure in the community and enjoyed his job as the Whitefish Golf Course marshal and the head coach of the Whitefish Lake Nude Synchronized Swimming Team (ages 50 and older).

In his leisure time he enjoyed golf, fishing, building model airplanes and smoking good cigars. On July 28, 2004, only days before his 71st birthday, Ken achieved a hole-in-one on the sixth hole of the Whitefish Lake Golf Course, where he was also a member.

Ken is survived by his wife of 40 years, Joanna King; his three children, Dyana, Russell and Stephanie King; his grandchildren, Hillary Marie and Miguel David; daughter-in-law, Rosemary Arosteguy-King; and son-in-law, David Zilka.

A celebration of Ken's life will be held 3 p.m. today, July 16, at his home in Whitefish, 2385 Mountain Shadows Drive. Condolences sent by mail should go to P.O. Box 4366, Whitefish, MT 59937.

Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family.