Robert A. King

Robert A. King, a longtime resident of Hudson, Massachusetts, and formerly of Brookline and Watertown, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 7, 2024, at the age of 94, at Rose Monahan Hospice Home in Worcester, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Boston and raised in Brookline, Bob was the youngest son of Alice (Williams) and Louis P. King. He attended St. Mary of the Assumption Elementary School in Brookline and graduated from Brookline High School in 1947. Bob had a passion for people, which fueled his successful career at The Boston Globe. He started delivering newspapers in 1942 and worked his way up in The Globe organization, holding various posts in delivery and distribution operations. In 1985, Bob was named President and CEO of Community Newsdealers, Inc., a subsidiary of The Globe, which handled delivery circulation throughout Massachusetts and much of New England. He held that position until his retirement in 1991 after 49 years of service. 

Bob never took success for granted and was always armed with a quiet determination to make things better, and he did. He attributed his achievements to hard work, his supportive wife, and those who helped him along the way. He spent his life mentoring, connecting with people, and giving back. While he accomplished much in 94 years, Bob will be remembered for who he was: warm, funny, and understanding, and most of all loved and respected. He had an enormously generous heart and his gift to everyone he knew was his thoughtfulness, empathy, and kindness. Accepting of anyone who crossed his path, he showed a genuine interest in meeting new people and knowing all about their upbringings, backgrounds, and traditions.

During his childhood, Bob spent summers with his family at a cottage on Dudley Pond in Cochituate. It was there, at age ten, while recovering from an appendectomy, that he met his one and only love, a local girl named Charlotte Turnbull. He was instantly smitten, and that encounter was the start of Bob’s and Charlotte’s friendship and romance. They were sweethearts for more than eight decades and were married for 75 years. Together, in a home filled with love and laughter, they raised their children: Debby, Caren, Bobby, and David. The family later grew to include ten grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Together, Bob and Charlotte shared an incredible life. In August 1948, they were married at St. Zepherin Church in Wayland and immediately settled in Brookline. The couple bought their first home in Watertown, where they lived from 1954 to 1964. When The Boston Globe expanded its home delivery operations to the suburbs, Bob, Charlotte, and their four children moved to Hudson. There he spent the next 60 years, actively involved in many community and religious organizations, including the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, PTA, Knights of Columbus, Merchants Association, and the Boys’ Club. He was also a longtime parishioner at St. Michael Catholic Church. 

Bob enjoyed traveling and the outdoors, reading, and organizing and fixing things. He was there to help with any project, and was a stickler for details and getting things done way ahead of schedule. But it was family and friends that meant the most to him. He was happiest just being together, whether he was telling stories around the dinner table, entertaining by the pool, or taking long walks, hand-in-hand, with his wife. A hero and inspiration to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Bob was at their sides cheering, encouraging, and laughing in the good times; hopeful, caring, and reassuring when life got tough. He was always available to talk, with a sympathetic ear and a soft shoulder to cry on.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Charlotte, and his children: a daughter, Debby Martin and her husband Don of Sterling, and two sons, Bobby King and his wife Britt Hed of Ipswich, and David King and his wife Darlene of Hudson. He was “Gramps” to his grandchildren: Leah Hoag, Christopher Almada, Jason Firth, Jeremy Firth, Andy King, Nicholas Malizia, Tyler Firth, Gabriel King, Geoffrey King, and Evan King; and great-grandchildren: Kevin, Ciara, Aiden, Cameron, Melody, Delaney, Isaac, Hadley, Jesslyn, Hayden, Leo, and Joseph. He will also be missed by many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Bob was predeceased by a daughter, Caren Firth, also of Hudson, who died in 2009, and by his siblings: Phyllis Calkins of Newton, Louis “Buddy” King of Milford, NH, Donald King of Cape Cod, and Constance Turnbull of Spotsylvania, VA. 

Private funeral services for the immediate family were held under the direction of Tighe Hamilton Regional Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation made in Bob’s memory to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284, or to UMass Memorial Office of Philanthropy, 365 Plantation Street, Biotech One, Worcester, MA 01605.