Obituary

Mark Edwin King, 53, of Milton, went home to be with his Lord, Wednesday, October 4, 2006 at his residence.  Funeral services will be conducted 11 a.m. Saturday, October 7, 2006 at Milton Middle School Gymnasium.  Burial will follow in Milton Cemetery. Mark was born January 2, 1953 in Cabell County a son of the late Raymond E. King and his mother Helen Cole King, of Milton. Mark King was currently the Director of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services, a division of the WV Department of Health and Human Resources, a position he had held since March 1995.  In this position, Mark oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Office and was responsible for the development of rules and regulations which governed the activities of EMS providers in the State.

Mr. King is a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia where he holds a Baccalaureate Degree in Secondary Education and an Associate Degree in Fire Science Technology. He also holds a Certificate of Proficiency in Emergency Medical Technology from Marshall. He served as Coordinator of the Emergency Medical Technology Program and then became the Regional Training Coordinator for Appalachian EMS. As a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic for twenty years, Mr. King has served with several EMS and Fire Agencies in West Virginia, including Huntington Fire Department, Cabell County EMS, Culloden Volunteer Fire Department and Milton Volunteer Fire Department.  Mark was also a founding member of the West Virginia Search and Rescue Network, Inc. and served as the President and a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.

As Director of the West Virginia Office of EMS, he has been a member of the National Association of State EMS Officials serving on a number of committees and as Treasurer, President-Elect, President and most recently as the Immediate Past President. He is also a board member of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and has participated with numerous national initiatives since 1995 to include: the National EMS Scope of Practice, the NHTSA Performance Measures Initiative, and the NHTSA Critical Care/Intra-Facility Transportation Initiative.

Mr. King has served on six NHTSA State EMS System Reassessment Teams in Nebraska, Connecticut, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. He is a member at the Atlantic EMS Council and the Trauma Information and Exchange Program Board for the American Trauma Society.

Mr. King also served as an officer in the United States Army, where he served as a Battalion Assistant Operations Officer with the 2/64 Armor and 3/64 Armor Battalion in Schweinfurt, Germany.

He was also a member of the Sharon Baptist Church and a member of the Milton Masonic Lodge First Degree EA.  Mark was dedicated to his children and he loved very dearly.  In addition to his mother he is survived by one son, Garett King; one daughter, Kaitlyn Katy King; one brother and sister-in-law, Charles Chuck and Tracey King; two nephews, Benjamin King and Matthew King.  Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, October 5, 2006 at Heck Funeral Home, Milton.