His family attributed the changes in Tom King to his newfound faith. About a decade ago, he began reading the Bible regularly and became part of a Salvation Army congregation after his first wife died of cancer. He had been taking care of her and looking for comfort and meaning. Tim King also suspected Tom wanted to leave a legacy of faith for his grandkids.
Tom King and his first wife had not always seen eye to eye about religion, Tim said, which made his turn to faith complicated.
“He used to have to hide his Bible,” Tim King said.
After retiring, Tom King had thrown himself into volunteering with the Salvation Army’s food pantry. Working there had brought him a new group of friends and gave purpose to his life.
“He drove the food truck, helped stock shelves, greeted and assisted clients, cleaned and anything and everything else that was needed,” said Bramwell Applin, area coordinator of the Salvation Army’s Summit County Area Services in Akron.
Tom King was also an enthusiastic bellringer during the Christmas season, raising funds by manning one of the Salvation Army’s famed red kettles. He was known for wishing everyone he met a blessed day — and meaning it.
“There was never a moment in my short time knowing Tom that I felt like a stranger to him, and I think that experience would ring true for everyone he met,” said Applin.
Tim King said Tom’s sense of compassion shaped how his family responded to the accident.
“Tom was just a victim of circumstance,” Tim King said. “There was no need to be vengeful.”
Robert Enright, a University of Wisconsin professor who studies forgiveness, said it can take many shapes. Sometimes forgiveness can be immediate, and other times, it’s a long process. He said there is a difference between deciding to forgive someone and then walking what he called the path of forgiveness — where you wish the other person well and see the other person as having worth.
King’s death was an injustice, Enright said, and it deserved to have consequences. But there was still room for his family to show mercy.
“What they are trying to do is balance justice with mercy,” he said.
