Obituary of Mary Jane King

Mary Jane King March 5, 1922 - February 24, 2017 Resident of Santa Cruz Mary Jane King passed away at her home in Santa Cruz on February 24, 2017 at the age of 94. She was the last surviving member of her family's generation. Born on March 5, 1922 in Santa Barbara, CA to George F. Clifton Sr. and Elsie (Gonzles) Clifton, she graduated from Santa Barbara High School on June 16, 1939. She went on to earn her Beautician's License and worked in a beauty shop for several years. She married Wayne A. King who served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Being a military family, they moved around often. They lived in Norfolk, VA, Norman, OK, Orange, CA, Millington, TN and Beeville, TX. During times when Wayne was assigned to sea duty or stationed overseas, she and the children would come to Santa Cruz to stay with her mother. When Wayne retired from the Navy in 1960, after more than 20 years of service, they moved to Santa Cruz and have been there ever since. Mary Jane loved to grow flowers and tend to the stray cats, who knew they could get a square meal at the King residence. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, 2200 7th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (www.scanimalshelter.org). Mary Jane is survived by her daughter, Susan (King) Jacquemin; her son, Wayne King Jr.; grandchildren, Katie (King) Hart and Benjamin King; and great-grandchildren, Ella Hart (6), Zoe Hart (2), Tyler King (10) and "Pip" King (5). She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Wayne A. King Sr., on April 17, 1997. Also preceding her were her parents and her brothers, George and Chuck Clifton. Mary Jane will be laid to rest alongside her husband at Golden Gate National Cemetery on Monday, March 6, 2017 at 1:00 PM.