Christopher Marcus King

Christopher Marcus King, born February 6, 1974, to William J and Nina K King, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He passed away in Denver, Colorado, Saturday, November 11, 2023. Christopher always had a gift and understanding of all things mechanical. As a child, he would fix neighbor’s lawnmowers, starting when he was about 8 years old. He would fix things to a better standard than the manufacturer’s specifications. During his teen years, he worked every summer at the Liberty Park amusement park rides in Salt Lake City. He was instrumental in refurbishing and maintaining the Merry Go Round, and, of course, the train. He worked very hard to ensure everything looked nice, as well as ran to the best possible safety rating. His love of steam trains was well known. He had schematic blueprints on his bedroom wall as a young child. His knowledge of all thing D&RGW was vast and detailed. He loved to learn and share his knowledge with anyone who would listen. His knowledge and understanding of how things worked led him to be able to work on various Steam Train Scenic Railroads, including the Cumbres and Toltec, his first and favorite. His favorite engine was the 489, his “baby”. His first official paid work on this engine was at 19 years old, even though he had “worked on” her as a child during summer visits. Coincidentally, Christopher’s randomly assigned P.O. Box happened to be 489 when he moved to Chama. Not only was he a gifted mechanic and machinist, but his artwork is something he took great pride in. His attention to detail made his art come to life. His cooking skills were up to the chef’s standards. He truly loved to cook. His meals were creative and delicious. His love of music was brought by his parents’ love of music. He was able to pick up any brass instrument and play it. He was able to play some piano as well. His dependency and demons were a struggle for him his whole adult life. His mental health was something he struggled with, and self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. He sought help many times, and was able to remain clean and sober for great expanses of time. His struggles were on a daily basis. He is preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, two uncles and one aunt, cousin Jeremy. He is survived by his sister, Diana (Rob), nephew Aaron (Shila), nieces Stephanie and Kimberly, and the English family, Aunt Lillian Kelwick (Paul), and cousins Cheryl, Roy, Brandon, and Nicola. Carry on, my wayward son There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more