- April 19, 2024
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To know him was to become his friend.
There was no such thing as strangers with Octavious Altemus King. He was the definition of an extrovert, and his genuine smile, laughter and sense of humor created a pull that left a lasting impression on everyone he met.
That is the kind of soul King’s friends and family lost Feb. 24 – when King, 26, died at the Armor CrossFit of Ocoee from cardiac arrest because of an enlarged heart condition.
Born on March 12, 1990, King graduated in 2010 from West Orange High School. He was a pharmacy technician at RX Plus pharmacy in Sanford and was studying physical therapy at Valencia College, with the hope of eventually making it his career and making his future paradise home in Hawaii.
Family members and friends remember King for his love of travel, CrossFit and God.
Faith played a huge role in King’s personal life. He experienced a rough childhood — his mother served time in prison and his father left the country shortly after. He was raised mostly by his grandmother, Ella Mae Whitehead, in Georgia, but had to move back to live with his mom when she was released.
According to his video testimonial, his challenging circumstances took a toll on his personality as a kid, but turning to God helped him rise above his situation and become a better person.
He is fondly remembered as being spiritual, as he regularly volunteered his time between his job and CrossFit to serve God in any way he could — as a youth counselor and a missionary and by feeding the homeless.
Kemor King, his half-brother, was touched when he found a prayer list from a youth retreat in a pile of notes among his belongings after his passing.
“I really love that he made it his intention to pray for every person individually and not just a blanket request for God to bless all the youth on that retreat,” Kemor said.
Connecting with others was King’s specialty. As his brother and best friend Juan Arboleda described, King was the kind of person who genuinely listened to others. And of all the things he’d miss about his brother, Kemor said he’d miss his hugs and the way King was always so present in their conversations.
“He was so loving and giving to everyone,” Kemor said. “I would say he built and picked his family as time went on, because he didn’t grow up with much of a solid familial system.”
Arboleda, who met King six years ago, worked together with King and went on several travel trips together. He said King was like the little brother he never had, one with a contagious smile, authentic personality and happy-go-lucky demeanor.
“His family was pretty much anyone who was close to him — it wasn’t just blood,” said Keith Barber, King’s friend and CrossFit buddy. “He took you in as family when you guys made that bond.”
King also loved CrossFit. Nothing got in the way of his gym sessions, which he did four days a week with Barber, a coach at CrossFit Armor of Ocoee who grew close with King after meeting him at a competition in 2016.
“CrossFit was his oxygen,” Kemor said. “He was very dedicated. He wanted to really make a change and do something with his life to shake it up. And so he started doing CrossFit.”
King, who Kemor said was a little heavier as a kid, picked up his CrossFit hobby about seven years ago. Since then, he had attended the gym religiously, rain, shine or even on vacation. King was dedicated.
“He was the one structuring the workouts and programming everything,” Barber said. “It was great to see his motivation not only in CrossFit but (also) in life.”
The manner in which King lived his life and treated others inspired awe and admiration in all those who were close to him and has left a legacy that will live on forever in their hearts and minds.
“He truly did live every day,” said Fatima Barraza, King’s sister-in-law. “He lived a purposeful life, and that’s something that, after his passing, has become my goal.”
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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].
