Claudine King

Claudine James King, 93, of Searcy gained her eternal rest on March 14, 2023 after a long battle with dementia. She was born on Jan 10,1930 to Claude and Locie James of Tuckerman AR. Being raised during The Great Depression made her a strong, independent woman. And this became even more evident when she lost her husband of 43 years, Marcus, at the young age of 59.

She is survived by her 3 children, son Michael King, and daughters, Diana (Rodney) McAdams, and Rhonda (Tony) Forcier. All still reside in Searcy. She felt very blessed to have 5 grandsons: Robert and David McAdams, and Michael, Alex and Samuel Forcier. She was also blessed with one granddaughter: Rachel (McAdams) Myhan.

Claudine, like her mother before her, set the bar high for grandmothers everywhere. Eventually six great grandchildren would be lucky enough to call her Gigi: Emma, Libby, Marcus, Cash, Gavin, and Granger. She dearly loved and cared for her family whenever given the opportunity, and she was especially proud of her grands and great grands.

Leaving their home in Arkansas to move to Flint, Michigan in 1955, she and Marcus would raise their children there. In her early 30s, she became a hairdresser; and later she would work as a home economist for the County Extension Service. There she taught low income families about nutrition and how to better feed their families. She loved that work and often commented on how much joy it brought her, even as recently as 2 weeks before her passing. Her daughters and their families relocated back to Arkansas in ‘90-’91, and she returned as well in order to stay close to her children and grandchildren.

She was known for many things, but especially her love and expertise at entertaining, cooking, and baking. She was renowned for her blueberry muffins dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar, which would become a lifelong favorite of her grandchildren. As an elder’s wife and a church servant in so many ways, she put those skills to good use as long as she was able. In her younger years, hospitality may as well have been her middle name. She adored coffee, STRONG COFFEE, and shared a cup with anyone who came through her door up until her last days.

Never one to pass up a road trip with her daughters and granddaughter, she was and will always be remembered for her quirky southern one liners that kept us laughing all the time.

A member of the church of Christ her entire life, she worked to serve and minister when and wherever she could. Her last few years were marred as her memory slowly left, but she continued to love and keep up with the church…reading bulletins as she became unable to leave the house.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was also preceded in death by her brother Daniel James.
She was loved by so many and will be so missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to White County Child Safety Center or Sparrows Promise.    

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