O b i tua r ies

Obituaries from page B43

Slain Teacher Loved To Help

JTA

R

oberta "Bobbie" King almost
wasn't teaching English at the
American Civic Association
building in Binghamton, N.Y., on the
Friday afternoon of April 3. When full-
time teacher Elisabeth Hayes needed a
substitute so that she could celebrate
her 40th wedding anniversary that day,
the 72-year-old King hesitated at first
because she needed to spend time pre-
paring for Passover.
But Hayes said King couldn't turn
down a chance to help out.
"She was very interested in my ESL
[English as a Second Language] class
and whenever I went away she was the
first person I would want to come," Hayes
told the New York Daily News. "She had
an ability to be understanding to the stu-
dents, and I knew that my students would

be safe and well taken care of with her,"
she said.
King was one of 13 people who were
killed when a gunman entered the civic
center and opened fire on the citizenship
class King was teaching. Jiverly Voong, a
Vietnamese immigrant, was reportedly
upset after losing his job a few weeks ago
and killed himself after the rampage.
The mother of 10 and grandmother of
17 was remembered as someone who had
lots of friends and loved to help others.
King was a substitute teacher at
Binghamton High School in addition to
teaching a summer English class at the
American Civic Association.
Her son Jeffrey King, a Binghamton-
area surgeon, said his mother immensely
enjoyed teaching that English class.
"She loved the students there," he
said. "She loved to learn about their
cultures." —

Roberta King last year teaching her ESL class at site of the April 3 slaughter.

A life well lived

A tradition well served

We strive to honor each person
with dignity and respect

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B44

April 9 6 2009

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