Fallen Hero: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Lee King

Winchester, TN

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Funeral Home

McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service

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Obituary

Military Service Tribute, Honors, and Obituary:
Recognizing and Honoring a Fallen Hero who Served in the Mississippi National Guard. “Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten.” In recognition of our proud American tradition of honorable service, which our military men and women have given to their country and our state, we honor a Fallen Hero. Our nation, our state, and the National Guard Association of MS (NGAMS) regard memorializing its retired military deceased as an honorable and sacred obligation. Another great Soldier and Fallen Hero has been released from duty, passed from our ranks on October 2, 2026 and has moved on to his heavenly home. Retired Lieutenant Ronald Lee King, age 78, Winchester, TN, who served in the 631st Field Artillery Group and HHC, 155th Armored Brigade has departed and gone to a better place with our Lord and Savior.
It takes a special person to serve in the military for their country, sacrificing time with family time, comfort, and safety to ensure all Americans can enjoy their freedoms, safety, and way of life. We now applaud you for your service to our country.
A special message from General Douglas MacArthur remains relevant today for our servicemen who have passed: “Old Soldiers never die; they just fade away.” Rest in peace, soldier. We honor your patriotism, sacrifices, and brave efforts in serving our country and your family’s support of your service. We thank you for your service. Without your efforts and your families’ support, our country would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly, and live so freely.
You have now earned your rest, so go fly with the angels, go rest high on that mountain; your work on earth is complete. Go to heaven a-shoutin’ love for the Father and the Son.
Another great soldier has gone home—“Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten, Soldier for Life.”
Obituary, Visitation, and Service Details:
Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Lee King, 78, of Winchester, Tennessee, took his final flight home on Friday, October 2, 2026, following injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident near Dunlap, Tennessee. Ron lived a life marked by courage, service, and an unwavering love of adventure — on the ground, in the air, and on the open water.
Ron was born May 6, 1948, in Grenada, to the late Lee Andrew King and Betty Jane Juchheim King. A native son of Grenada, he carried the heart of his hometown with him throughout a life that took him across the world and back again.
Ron answered the call to serve his country in the United States Army, where he became an aviator and ultimately retired with the distinguished rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His service included time overseas during the Vietnam War, and he later put his exceptional skills to use as an experimental test pilot. Flying remained a lifelong passion — after his military career, Ron continued to take to the skies as an agricultural aviator, and he also spent time as a sailboat captpain, equally at home navigating the open water as he was soaring above it.
A true motorcycle enthusiast, Ron logged countless miles riding across the country in honor and support of his fellow Vietnam veterans. He proudly served as President of the national “Run for the Wall” organization, helping lead the annual cross-country ride that honors those who served and those who never came home. At the time of his passing, Ron was on a mission with “Combat Hero Bike Build,” still giving of himself in service to the veteran community he cherished so deeply.
A man of faith, Ron was a member of First Baptist Church – Grenada, where his roots and his beliefs remained strong throughout his life.
Ron’s legacy is one of honor, service, and freedom — a pilot, a patriot, and a rider who never stopped moving forward in support of others. He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, his devotion to his fellow veterans, and the countless lives he touched along every road, runway, and waterway he traveled.
Funeral services will be held at 2:30 PM Friday, October 9, 2026 at McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada with Rev. Zach Sanford officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in the Woodlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service Friday at McKibben and Guinn.
Survivors include his mother, Betty Jane Juchheim King of Grenada; daughter, Renee Roney of Winchester, TN; son, Ronald King(Carrie) of Fairhope, AL; sisters, Ginny Sutherland(Joe) of Duck Hill and Gaylan Ryals(Billy) of Winona; brothers, Donald Wayne King(Ruby) of McMinnville, TN, Richard King(Cindy) of Grenada and Frank King(Patricia) of Daphne, AL; three grandchildren, Noah King(Ali), Miah King and Sam King; and two great-grandchildren, Waylon and Wyatt King.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.mckibbenandguinn.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada, (662-307-2694).