Oregon Reporter Tim King Dies After Motorcycle Crash

Timothy Andrew King, Obituary
4-2-1963 to 10-4-2020
A life taken too soon.

Tim King RIP, with the red dragonfly which coined the term for his coast to coast veterans ride.

(SALEM, Ore.) - FROM THE PUBLISHER: There are no words appropriate to encompass a powerful, positive and energetic spirit such as Tim King. The last thing I ever expected to do is write his obituary. This is a shock to us all.

Salem-News.com and the King family appreciate the prayers and good wishes during this terrible time. Info on the Celebration of Life is included below. Please remember Tim with joy in your heart. ~Bonnie

Tim with his dad, 1963

Timothy Andrew King was born in Lynnwood, California, on April 2, 1963 to Charles and Nellie King.

He had a wonderful childhood in sunny Los Angeles, learning to surf when he was only 9, riding horses out at the family ranch, and joining his dad in a love of vehicles, kicked off when he got his first car at the age of 12.

His family moved from Huntington Park to Morro Bay in 1978, where Tim attended high school and made memories to last a lifetime.

His two big brothers, Ken and Rick, led him down many a dusty road as their family journeyed into the desert in their home-made camp car, always looking for the new adventure. Later, Tim shared this same quest for the unknown with his kids as they romped through Death Valley or into the Laguna Mountains on their next outing off the beaten track.

Tim served in the US Marine Corps with MWSG-37 in the 3rd Marine Air Wing at El Toro 1981-83. In 1987 he and Bonnie were married, and together they built a very full and interesting life. Tim has five children, all boys. They are his true legacy.

Tim's amazing talent was steeped in his ability and desire to tell a great story - which first led him to the television newsroom in 1988, serving as News Anchor/Reporter for Lincoln City, Oregon`s cable TV station, TV 10. That`s where Tim found his calling.

Tim moved on to serve as News Photojournalist/Reporter for KATU (ABC), Photojournalist at KVVU (FOX), KVBC (NBC), and KYMA (NBC), the News Assignment Editor for KVVU (FOX) in Las Vegas, NV, as well as radio News Director (KBCH/KCRF).

In addition, he was the Producer/Co-Host for the "Coast Entertainment Show", Executive Producer (creator) of the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", and Co-Producer of the 30-minute documentary "Fallen Fortress at Cape Lookout" which aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting in 1993.

Also significant among his achievements are the 2 years he spent as a Wildlife Rescue team leader for the Oregon State Police on the coast of Oregon.

Tim had more than thirty years of experience on the West Coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, and reporter. His career in the broadcast industry afforded him many opportunities to cover incredible stories as well as meet innumerable celebrities and dignitaries.

He flew in many military planes including an F-16 Air Force Fighter, and produced a three-part series on aviation history of the Southwest region of the United States. Aviation was one of Tim's passions.

Tim and Bonnie launched Salem-News.com during the summer of 2004 while he was working as a photojournalist/reporter for KATU Channel-2 News, in Portland, Oregon.

Tim covered the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007.

He witnessed various operations out of Kabul, visiting the former training camp of Usama bin Laden in Jalabad, Mazur-e-Shariff, where the US war there began, and many other locations, turning 30 news reports for Salem-News.com and Oregon's FOX-12.

A year later, in 2008, Tim spent five weeks covering the war in Iraq, embedded once again with an Oregon Guard unit.

Tim produced reports with the Army's 101st Airborne and Marines in Iraq's Anbar province, during the summer of 2008, based primarily out of the Air base at Balad, better known to soldiers there as "Mortaritaville" due to its frequent reception of rocket and missile attacks.

Tim & Bonnie receive the Silver Spoke Award, 2011

This is where Tim learned the unique phrase popular in Iraq at the time: “Did you create a terrorist today?"

Tim worked to end the struggle of the Palestinian people who live under occupation and related oppression. The same is true with Sri Lanka, one of the primary focuses of Tim's daily reports. As a result of his long list of reports exposing war crimes against Tamil people, Tim was invited to be the keynote speaker at the FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) Conference in Baltimore, in July 2012, which he did with honor.

Another huge aspect of Tim's work revolved around the contamination of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine, California, which officials planned to turn into a park and housing subdivision, in spite of the fact that the ground is contaminated with multiple deadly chemicals.

Working with several Salem-News.com writers who also served as Marines at El Toro, Tim generated a steady stream of news reports that impacted the proposed redevelopment of the base. He and Robert O'Dowd co-authored a book on the subject called “Betrayal”.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), the first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting.

Tim wrote over 2,000 articles for Salem-News.com, plus dozens of articles he produced for PressTV and his own GlobalNewsCentre website, and many other news agencies.

Tim holding grandson Ronin, with sons Christian, Sean & Austin, 2020

In 2013 Tim rode his motorcycle across the United States and attended many events for Veterans along the way. He supported Veterans and defended their rights to the very end.

Beloved by the Salem community, he put many of his mystifying stories into a book, "Haunted Salem", which he authored in 2016. In 2015 he began Salem Ghost Tours which he operated year round.

He was working on a second book and several other projects, which have now been cut short. Some of them will be finished on his behalf in the near future.

Tim died on October 4, 2020 at 10:23 p.m., from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Salem, Oregon which occurred Sept 30.

He leaves behind sons Matthew, Nathan, Austin, Sean and Christian, his bereaved soul mate Bonnie, daughters in law Brittany, Sandra and Tracy, eight grandchildren, brothers Ken and Rick, sisters in law Susan and NeNe, many nieces, nephews and close family members, and innumerable friends near and far.

If you’re looking for him, he’s been transferred to the great Valhalla Press room.... though he most certainly stopped to surf on the way.

SEE ALSO: Tim King in Critical Condition After Motorcycle Crash [Oct 4 2020]

GoFundMe: Tim King Memorial Fund