Former Lenoir County elections director Dana King remembered for steady leadership, community service

For more than two decades, Dana Williams King helped guide elections in Lenoir County from behind the scenes, leading the county Board of Elections office through the detailed, often demanding work of voter registration, election preparation and public service.

King, who served as director of the Lenoir County Board of Elections for 22 years, died Saturday, May 2, 2026. She was 69.

Those who worked with King said her legacy is measured not only in years of public service, but in the people she trained, encouraged and treated like family.

Amy Morgan said she worked with King for many years and credited her with shaping her career in elections.

“She taught me all I know about elections,” Morgan said. “She believed in me when no one else did.”

Morgan said King was deeply committed to her faith, her family and the community. She remembered King opening the elections office month after month for American Red Cross blood drives because the work mattered to her.

“But most of all, she loved her family,” Morgan said. “She will be missed just like the day she retired. It felt so surreal the day she walked out for the last time. Her and her family will always have a place in my heart.”

Jean Alphin worked at the Board of Elections for 23 years, including 21 years while King was director. She said King created a workplace where personal relationships mattered, but professionalism remained important.

“Dana was a loving, family-oriented person,” Alphin said. “She always told us family came first, and she lived by those words. Dana was more like a friend to me than a boss.”

Alphin said she respected that relationship and never took it for granted.

“I loved Dana and will truly miss her,” Alphin said.

J Mac, who said King ran the Board of Elections well, remembered her simply as “a wonderful lady.”

King’s public life in Kinston began long before her years in elections. In 1976, she was selected as Miss Kinston and served as Miss Bicentennial. A self-trained ventriloquist, she made appearances through the years with “Aunt Eva,” a character that became part of her local community involvement.

She also worked with the Miss Neuse pageant for many years, served on the local American Red Cross Board and encouraged blood donation. At Tanglewood Church of God, she sang in the choir and was active in her Sunday school class, Powerhouse.