by JULIA RAWLINS-BENTHAM

DEIGHTON ST CLAIR KING planned his own funeral long before he died.

The 81-year-old man told his daughter Shirley Boxill that he was not afraid of death, and would die soon.

Then he went missing last Monday.

The family's worse fears were realised when the body of a missing man pulled from the Constitution River last Wednesday turned out to be that of King, a father of two, formerly of No. 54 Walkers Close, Thorpes Cottage, St George.

Police on the scene collected shoes, a hat and a cane from nearby.

"Dad prepared me for this a long time ago. Every evening he would go over what he wanted at his funeral, then he would go through his childhood memories," Boxill recalled.

And, when the day came on Wednesday, she was almost prepared.

"When I saw the body it did not look like my dad. I still felt as if I had a chance to find him, but this morning [Thursday] clinched it for me," she said.

During a telephone interview Boxill recalled the day her dad went missing. After speaking to him on Sunday night, she again spoke with him on Monday morning when he reminded her that he wanted a shave and for her to bathe him.

Boxill said she went out, and called her father when she returned home, but was told he went to the store.

When her father did not turn up at 4 p.m. she become concerned. Boxill said she started driving around, looking for her father and became more concerned after it became dark.

"I made a few calls and then I called the police," she said.

Two days later, she got the fateful news.

"It wasn't nice. It was really hard," she admitted.

"He was a memorable man, a good, kind man and always made a joke. He was my mum and my best friend," she said.

Boxill said her father would be sadly missed. "Everybody will miss King."