Kenneth King, age 81, of Huron died Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at Huron Regional Medical Center in Huron. His funeral will be 10:30 am Monday, December 22, 2014 at Riverview United Methodist Church in Huron with burial, including military rites, at the Virgil Cemetery. Visitation with family present will be from 6-8 pm Sunday, December 21, 2014 at Welter Funeral Home in Huron; or one hour prior to the service at the church. Kenneth Martin King was born August 9, 1933 to Owen and Lydia (Yegge) King at Carthage, SD. He graduated from Virgil High School in 1950. Ken grew up and worked on the family farm in the Virgil area with his father, and thus began his life-long love of agriculture. He recalled many times hand grading and selecting seed with his father to save for next year's planting. In 1951, Ken enlisted in the United States Air Force. On January 14, 1953, one week before he was sent to serve in Korea, he married the love of his life, Helen M. Sammons at the First United Methodist Church in Huron, SD. Upon his return from the Korean War as a Staff Sergeant, they were stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington and then returned to South Dakota where Ken soon returned to farming. In time, Ken also became a farmer-dealer for Haapala Seed and then a salesman for that company and later for Acco Seed. In 1968, Ken began the dream of owning his own seed business. He operated for several years at his farm, and then moved the business to Virgil and later to locations in Huron where it still operates today. His companies have included several successful seed ventures including King's Western, Kaystar Seed, and currently King Seed Inc. Ken loved the seed business and never saw it as merely a sales job, but as talking agriculture with colleagues, friends and neighbors, walking fields and plots, riding combines, and always working to bring the very best products he could to the Midwest, especially for South Dakota farmers. Ken also loved old cars (his pride and joy were his 1936 and 1941 Chevys), vintage Allis Chalmers tractors, and traveling. His seed career led him to meet and work with countless people across the United States and the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world. Ken was a 59-year member of the Virgil American Legion Schmidt Barnes Post #268, served as a Wessington school board member, past president of the South Dakota Seed Trade Association, had belonged to many regional and other US state seed organizations over the years, and was a long-time member of the American Seed Trade Association. But of all the interests in his life, his family was always first and foremost and he was the most incredible husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle. To his family and many friends and colleagues, Ken was a soft-spoken, kind, hard-working, and truly remarkable individual who accomplished so much in his life. Although he left us so suddenly and way too soon, we celebrate a life that was truly well lived. Those left to cherish his life are his wife of 61 years, Helen King of Huron; one son, Kevin (Angie) King of Wessington; three daughters, Cheryl King of Huron, Julie King Fritzsche of Wessington, and Lori King of Black Hawk, SD; sister, Gertrude Reimer of Huron; four grandchildren, Jessica (Kip) Tschetter of Huron, Jason (Devin) Fritzsche of Huron, Matt King of Sturgis, Ashlea King of Fort Collins, CO; five great-grandchildren, Skye and Storm Tschetter, Axel Fritzsche, Kenlee and Cashton King; three step-great grandchildren, Brailey Tschetter, Abbi Davis and Allison Hulst; numerous extended family, nieces, and nephews. Ken was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Alvin and Eldred King; two infant sisters, Arletta and Lola; brothers-in-law, Daniel Reimer and Dale Holland.