‘We will never forget you, Andrew’

More than 500 people packed St. Paul Roman Catholic Church to mourn the loss of Princeton Township’s Andrew King, a victim of the attack on the World Trade Center.

By: Jennifer Potash
   More than 500 people packed St. Paul Roman Catholic Church on Nassau Street on Wednesday to mourn the loss of Princeton Township’s Andrew King.
   Mr. King worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, which had offices on the 101st through 105th floors of the south tower of the destroyed World Trade Center.
   Family and friends recalled Mr. King as someone who lived every moment to the fullest and as a devoted father and husband.
   "He accomplished and experienced more in his 42 years than most people do in a lifetime," said Thomas Pritchard, a longtime friend of Mr. King.
   Ce Ce King, 14, shared stories of her father — from his attempts at snowboarding to his words of congratulations to each speaker at her eighth-grade graduation last spring.
   "I know all the good and bad memories of my dad will live inside my heart," she said. "I know he’s there watching over me."
   A color booklet containing photos of Mr. King, his wife, Judith, and three children, Ce Ce, Drew, 10, and Carly, 4, was distributed prior to the service.
   Family members and close friends recalled a man who rarely greeted people with simply a handshake, preferring a big bear hug.
   "Simply put, he was fuel for all our hearts," said Spencer King, Mr. King’s brother. "He made us all feel better."
   He also urged the attendants to remember to "comfort and help (Mr. King’s wife and children) in years to come."
   At the conclusion of his remarks, Spencer King asked the attendants to rise and repeat a refrain because "I want (Andrew) to hear us.
   "We love you, Andrew. We miss you, Andrew. We will never forget you, Andrew. God bless you, Andrew."
   The Rev. Thomas Benestad, a friend of the family who officiated at the memorial service, said once Mr. King entered a room, "He completely changed it."
   Mr. Pritchard recalled that his good friend Mr. King, a passionate and competitive golfer, saved the divot from his first hole-in-one and when his son, Drew, achieved the same feat, "The recipient line on the e-mail was two pages long."
   Nor was the word "can’t" in Mr. King’s vocabulary, said Michael Selverian, another friend of Mr. King.
   While lauding Mr. King’s achievements and commitment to his family and friends, the speakers also recalled his unique characteristics and mannerisms.
   Judson Linville, another friend of the King family, recalled Mr. King’s penchant for wearing "a Carolina blue Tarheels cap" with orange madras shorts.
   "And then there was the kilt," said Mr. Linville, drawing laugher from the attendants.
   Mr. King used to wear the kilt on formal occasions, he said.
   As one of Mr. King’s family member’s exited the church, he told a crying attendee, "Remember, Andrew would want you to smile."