Russell Burbage "Rusty" King passed through the gates of Heaven on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at North Mississippi Medical Center - Tupelo.
Rusty was born on April 21, 1959 in Ackerman, Mississippi to C.B. (Red) and Mae (Perry) King. Rusty was a gifted musician, beginning to play the piano at the age of 4. He enjoyed singing and playing for others everywhere he went, both privately and publicly. As a youth he and his friends formed a gospel group, The Chester Quartet, and performed all over the state. Rusty graduated from Ackerman High School in 1977. He later attended Wood Junior College in Mathiston, Mississippi, before transferring to the Lowenberg School of Nursing at Memphis State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 1982. During his studies, he completed his internship with Methodist Hospitals of Memphis. After working at various hospitals in the Memphis area, Rusty received a Masters of Science in Nursing from Arkansas State University in 1995. He was a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing at Arkansas State. After leaving Memphis he became a professor of Nursing at Pensacola (FL) Community College, and then transferred to Mississippi University for Women, where he instructed students clinical and robotic patient simulation. He retired from MUW in 2017. Rusty was also an active member of University Baptist Church in Starkville.
He leaves behind his loving partner of 30 years, David Ellington of Ackerman; mother, Mae King of Ackerman; brother, Mike (Ann) King of Ackerman; sister, Pam (Woody) Simpson of Ackerman; three beloved dogs, Minnie, Jax, and Tyson; seven nieces and nephews, as well as several great-nieces and nephews, and many good friends and colleagues.
Rusty is predeceased by his father, C.B. (Red) King of Ackerman; and brother, Frank King, also of Ackerman.
Visitation services will be held at Coleman Funeral Home of Ackerman on Tuesday, September 10 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., with funeral services to follow, and internment at South Union Methodist Cemetery. Memorials may be made University Baptist Church, P.O. Box 5371, Mississippi State, MS 39762 or to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society, 510 Industrial Road Park, Starkville, MS 39759.
