'Well-loved' James 'Bud' King honored by family, friends in Decatur memorial

DECATUR, Ga. - The family of James "Bud" King, the longtime Tucker High School sports volunteer who was found dead held a visitation in Decatur for the community to pay their respects.

At least 100 people came to say goodbye to the well-known figure in Tucker sports.

King went missing on Feb. 24, 2024.

His family searched tirelessly for him, asking local businesses for surveillance footage of him.

James "Bud" King  (Supplied)

A friend of the family helping in the search eventually found King's body in a creek off of Hairston Road in DeKalb County on March 2.

According to the family, King's death was ruled "accidental" by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office.

King's nephew, Ricky King, led much of the search efforts. He told FOX 5 he met dozens of people at his uncle's visitation who had fond memories of him.

"Everybody's got a different Bud story, everybody's got a different football tale. People are sad, but they're so happy he brought so many people together," Ricky said. "People say, 'I've known him since 1978.' Some guy said, 'I've known him since 1980.' People said, 'He helped us on our ball team as soon as last year,' and so many emotions have been spread here today. People just loved him, he was well-loved."

Ricky said seeing this outpouring of love and support for his uncle makes his loss just a little bit easier.

Still, the family has a lot of unanswered questions about his death that they promised they wouldn't stop seeking answers for.