Bill King
Remembering Bill King
William “Bill” Elliott King, 58, a resident of Elkins, WV, passed away on July 15, 2023, on the surgical oncology floor at Ruby Hospital in Morgantown, following a 12-year battle with appendix cancer. His request for cremation was honored.
He was born on May 21, 1965, in Lancaster, South Carolina to George Thomas King and MaryBeth Evans King, who survive.
He is also survived by his wife of 35 years, Beth Ruppersburg King; his daughter, Virginia Elizabeth Hoggard-King and her wife Josie Hoggard-King of Athens, GA; and his son, Walter Elliott King and his partner Abigail Diering of Huntsville, AL. In addition, he is survived by one brother, Thomas Evan and Lisa King of Mountain Rest, SC, as well as a host of brothers- and sisters-in-law: Hugh and Tricia Ruppersburg of Athens, GA; Joe and Margaret Anne Watkins of Sandy Springs, GA; Ty and Karen Keenum of Sandy Springs, GA; Tom and Renee Hudson of Black Mountain, NC; and Luke Caruthers Ruppersburg of Sugar Hill, GA. He had fourteen nieces and nephews he adored: Bill Watkins, Michael Ruppersburg (Sarah), Emily Hudson (Bryan Quintana), Chris Keenum (Ann), Claire Watkins (Adam Dwyer), Margaret Hudson (Quang Tran), Charles Ruppersburg (Chelsey), Patrick Keenum (Caroline, deceased), Andy Watkins (Amanda), Camille Hudson (Bryan Hudson), Max Ruppersburg (Cami Urbina), Luke Ruppersburg, Jr. (Kate Lamour), Catie Beth King, and Jay Ruppersburg. He also had nine great-nieces and nephews, and is survived by his four cats (Matisse, Mumford, Frida, and Gus). He loved his family very much.
Bill received his ABJ in Advertising, M.A. in Creative Writing, and Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Georgia. In 1996, he joined the faculty of Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, where he taught creative writing and literature. Bill was the current Chair of the Humanities Division and served as Chair of the English, Communication, and Foreign Language Department for many years. In addition, he served on numerous committees and appointments during his twenty-seven years with the college and received the Lois Latham Teaching Award. As a young professor, Bill created Writer’s Week—an annual celebration of literature that brings renowned writers to the region—which continues to this day.
Teaching was one of Bill’s truest joys, and his colleagues in the department inspired him personally and professionally—they took care of one another as teachers as much as they did one another’s office plants. Bill additionally treasured his students and the experiences and wisdom they could impart to one another. He was delighted to have had the opportunity to teach Creative Writing to West Virginia’s youth at the Governor’s School for the Arts.
As a writer, Bill’s words were inspired by his life, his family, and the natural world—he was as comfortable scribbling a poem on the back of a seed packet as he was within a well-loved notebook. He was the 2021 Heartwood Poetry Prize winner and a Pushcart Prize nominee. His work was published in Kestrel, Appalachian Review, What Things Cost: an anthology for the people (University of Kentucky Press), 100 Word Story, Naugatuck River Review, and many other journals and anthologies. He published two books of poetry, The Letting Go (2018) and Bloodroot (2023). Bill's poems capture the world as he viewed it—in all its beauty and with all its flaws. His unshakable beliefs in conservation and justice are on display in his writing.
Throughout his life, Bill was a vibrant and involved part of the Elkins-Randolph County community, even during his illness. He coached many a youth soccer team and served on community improvement projects. He threw himself into the lives of his loved ones, volunteering alongside his then-teenage daughter Elizabeth on numerous political campaigns; providing hundreds of hours of supervision for his son Walter and other young musicians at late-night jams; and supporting his wife Beth in whatever way he could, particularly with her passions and career. He was Volunteer of the Year at the Randolph County Community Arts Center, and he was a faithful helper—and well-loved face—at the Augusta Heritage Center.
Bill thrived in the arts and the gifts of nature. He most enjoyed camping and backpacking with Walter and his own dear friends; discussing current events, literature, and writing with Elizabeth; carefully and obsessively tending his flower and vegetable gardens; writing in his treehouse-turned-office shed; hunting fossils on the train tracks and roadsides; fishing in the woods and rivers of his beloved corner of Appalachia; and spending quality time with his wife, side-by-side, every day of their lives. Bill was additionally an avid UGA football and Braves baseball fan and thus existed in a state of rapture these past few years, as they performed beautifully. He was nothing if not passionate.
Unfailingly funny and good-humored, Bill had a way of inspiring everyone around him to be better than they were before he met them. He was a true giver, and he lived—and loved—life so very fully.
A Celebration of Life was held for Bill on Sunday, August 6, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in The Senate Commons in the Myles Center for the Arts. The family asks that donations, in lieu of flowers, be sent to Davis & Elkins College, for the Dr. Bill King Writer’s Week Endowed Fund, attn. Office of Institutional Advancement, 100 Campus Drive, Elkins WV 26241. For credit card transactions, use the online giving link: www.dewv.edu/giveonline, and select Dr. Bill King Writer’s Week Endowed Fund from the dropdown menu.