Charley was born on December 19, 1931, in Loudon County, Tennessee to Earl and Ivy Lee Spessard King. He was raised in Lenoir City, TN and attended public schools there. During the Korean War he served with the United States Navy. On August 1, 1953, he was married to Marjorie Garrett in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple lived in California before moving to Grinnell, Iowa in 1966. He was traffic department of General Telephone Company of the Midwest for 34 years. Charley was a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association and he enjoyed boating, water skiing and riding his motorcycle around the country. Survivors include his wife, Marjorie King of Grinnell; two sons, Wendell King of Urbandale and Wes King of Des Moines; one daughter, Rhonda Walsh of Normal, Illinois; six grandchildren; two great grandchildren; two brothers, Jim King of Paso Robles, CA and Bill King of Harriman, TN; and one sister, Sue Presley of Lenoir City, TN. He was preceded in death by his parents; and one daughter, Melanie King.