Naomi King: Funeral Details Set For MLK Sibling, Activist Dead At 92

ATLANTA, GA — A memorial for Dr. Naomi Ruth Barber King, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Jr. King's sister-in-law who died Thursday at age 92, is set for Friday in Atlanta.

Naomi King, who was married to the late Rev. Alfred Daniel King, founded a nonprofit in his namesake. Her cause of death is unknown.

She was the foundation's chair emeritus at the time of her death, according to the organization.

A private memorial service is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at an unreleased location, according to her obituary.

Then, a Celebration of Life service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at the Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary, 407 Auburn Ave.

Both services will be live streamed. The family asks for donations be made to the A.D. King Foundation in lieu of flowers.

Her Life

Naomi King was born in 1931 in Dothan, Alabama, according to her biography.

"Mrs. Naomi Ruth Barber King was destined to become a woman of quiet dignity, strength and support to her husband, her family and the communities around her. Naomi would come to walk in the grace and distinction of her beloved butterflies, and acquire the noted title of the 'Butterfly Queen,'" read her biography.

After relocating to Atlanta with her mother, Naomi King joined Ebenezer. At the time, the church was led by pastors Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and wife Alberta Williams King.

Ebenezer is where she met Alfred King, who she married in 1950.

Naomi King supported Alfred and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Civil-Rights Movement, per a statement from the A.D. Foundation.

"She bravely endured the bombings of their Birmingham, Alabama home and one of the churches her husband pastored in Louisville, Kentucky. She continued to support Rev. A.D. King until his untimely death in 1969, which she publicly labeled a murder," read the statement.

After Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968, Naomi King supported the efforts of Coretta Scott King - who founded The King Center in Atlanta.

Naomi King later founded the A.D. King Foundation in 2008 to honor her late husband and to shine light on youth and women empowerment and nonviolent social change strategies with an entrepreneurship focus, per the organization.

Fast forward six years, she published in 2014 "AD and ML King: Two Brothers Who Dared to Dream."

Her college years were spent at Spelman College and the University of Alabama, according to her biography.