Man killed in Edwardsville fire remembered as avid sports fan who kept to himself
Following a “wild” fire that killed Steven E. King and his three dogs on Monday, friends and neighbors remembered the Edwardsville man as an avid sports fan who worked hard, but kept to himself.
King, 62, died from smoke inhalation following a fire at his home in the 100 block of Second Avenue Tuesday. His body was found in the basement of the home, which he shared with two other people who were out of town, Edwardsville Fire Deputy Chief James Whiteford said.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
Cameron Thurman, who lives two doors down from the fire, said that King kept to himself as a neighbor. He said they would nod at each other when they saw each other outside of their homes.
“When I saw him driving up and down the street, we nodded at each other,” Thurman said. “We were usually meeting as he was coming and I was going. We would do the neighborly nod.”
Thurman said he didn’t know that someone had died in the fire until he saw first responders bringing a body out on a gurney. He said he slept through the fire and didn’t even hear the sirens of emergency vehicles as they arrived at scene.
“I woke up super confused,” Thurman said. “I smelled smoke and thought it was my house. I started walking around checking if it was. Then, I saw the lights coming through my window.”
When he went to the door, Thurman said he saw that fire trucks and ambulances had converged in his normally quiet, uneventful street. The fire was the first big event that had occurred in the neighborhood since he’s lived there, said Thurman, who called the tragedy “100 percent wild.” He doesn’t know how the fire started, but wishes it had never occurred.
Friends of King said that the loss is heartbreaking.
“It is bad enough when someone passes away, but in a fire makes it even harder for his family,” said Pat Chapman, who was best friends with King’s wife, Barbara Foe King.
Barbara died on Jan. 10, 2010, Chapman said. She and King had one son, Jordan, who lives in Edwardsville, and he had two daughters from a previous marriage, Michelle and Jennifer, who live in O’Fallon and Edwardsville, respectively, according to King’s obituary.
King worked at Vallow Floor Covering in Edwardsville for a number of years, Chapman said. According to his coworker, Barb Anderson, “he hardly missed a day of work.” She said he was friendly and never met a stranger.
Both Chapman and Anderson said that King was a huge fan of sports, especially the St. Louis Cardinals. His obituary stated that he also enjoyed bowling.
“I remember him wearing his Montclaire Bowl or Cottonwood Lanes jacket,” Chapman said. “Then when the bowling alleys closed, it was on to the Cardinals jacket.”
Thurman said King also cared for his dogs, two pit bulls he let run around in the yard.
“They were a little aggressive ... they had a tendency to charge after people,” Thurman said of the dogs. “They had a ton of energy.”
King’s funeral services are being handled by Weber & Rodney Funeral Home in Edwardsville. A memorial visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, and a memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. with Rev. John Roberts officiating. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetary. Memorials may be given to the family and condolences are welcome at weberfuneralhome.com.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 5:54 PM.
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