Mary Jo “Jodi” King passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10th, at Vali Assisted Living in Westcliffe, Colorado. Mary Jo,
affectionately known as “Jodi,” was born March 4, 1941, in Topeka,
Kansas, to Carl and Laura Rieck. She was the oldest of two girls, Karla being the youngest. Jodi grew up in Burlingame, Kansas, but spent her high school and college years in Lamar, Colorado. She eventually moved back to Kansas, where she met the love of her life, Allen “Al” King. She married Al on June 17, 1966, and immediately became a military wife living all across the United States, even spending two years in Germany. In 1972, along with being a caring and supportive wife, she became a mother to their first child, Kellie, and in 1974, she welcomed their second child, Tracie, and their family was complete. In 1975, Al and Jodi moved back to Topeka, Kansas, to build a life and raise their girls.
In 2001, after 25 years of employment at the Security Benefit Life Insurance, Jodi retired, and she and Al were finally able to move and settle down in Westcliffe, Colorado. She was an active member of Community United Methodist Church for several decades, where she contributed not only her resources but her time. In her retirement, she enjoyed crossword puzzles, solitaire, and spending quality time with friends and family. After her beloved Allen passed in 2017, nothing was more important to Jodi than being the family matriarch, participating in the lives of her daughters and grandchildren. Jodi was a private woman with a wry sense of humor and a no-nonsense personality, but that honesty made her both funny and endearing. The King family legacy of dedication to God, family, and community will live on through her daughters and her grandchildren who were the joy of her life.
Prior to his passing, Jodi was able to celebrate 50 years of marriage to Al. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Allen King, and her younger sister, Karla. She is survived by her two daughters, Kellie and Tracie King, as well as her grandchildren, Sydney Borgen, Seani Millard, Danny Cain, and Jaymes Cain.
The celebration of life service for Mary Jo “Jodi” King will be held at Community United Methodist Church at 202 S 6th Street, Westcliffe on Saturday, August 3rd at 11:30 a.m.