[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_line_height=”2em” header_2_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_2_font_size=”35px” background_color=”#F7B948″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_2,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/marissa.jpg” alt=”Marissa King Photo” title_text=”marissa” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Marissa Hannah King,\u00a0 21 of\u00a0 Orangeville, Michigan died January 16 2012; born \u00a0November 20, 1990 Kalamazoo, Michigan<\/p>\n
Marissa, a Comstock High School graduate, Class of 2008 was attending \u00a0KVCC.\u00a0 Marissa was involved in many aspects of community theatre, and local films. \u00a0During her brief life she touched many lives.\u00a0 Marissa enjoyed reading, films, music, adventure and was an eloquent writer who loved poetry and short stories.\u00a0 She was engaged to Chris Kahllo, these two will forever live in our hearts and memories.<\/p>\n
Marissa is survived by her mother Nancy King, father Charles King, sister Devon, brother Wade, grandmother Patricia King and her many Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends who loved her.<\/p>\n
“Take me as I come, ’cause I can’t stay long.” – Tom Petty<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Marissa Hannah King was a member of our CST family who left us way too soon.\u00a0 She was on stage for her first show at CST in 2004, but after that she was always back stage.\u00a0 Marissa came to love the tech side of theatre.\u00a0 She eventually excelled as a Stage Manager, even at her young age.\u00a0 Marissa quickly gained the respect of the staff and cast on each production.\u00a0 She was very good at problem solving.\u00a0 If another staff member or actor mentioned a problem or issue on the set, Marissa could be counted on to figure out a solution.\u00a0 She worked on every CST summer show from 2004 to 2011.\u00a0 In addition, she crewed for several multi-high school productions and CST youth shows.<\/p>\n
Center Stage was Marissa\u2019s first theatre home, but she also worked with the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Whole Art Theatre, Whole Art New Play Series, and What-a Do Theatre in Battle Creek.\u00a0 She was a very valued member of the local theatre community.<\/p>\n
Marissa died in January of 2012 of an opioid overdose at the age of 21.\u00a0 Her mother, Nancy King, has become a passionate advocate for those with substance use disorder and addictions.\u00a0 She founded the COPENetwork (Community Outreach Prevention and Education) here in Kalamazoo to teach people about the nature of drug addiction, emphasize compassion for those who struggle with it, and train people in the use of Narcan to stop an overdose.<\/p>\n
Addiction is an illness, and CST believes discussing it openly is vital to reducing stigma and helping the community understand substance use disorder.\u00a0 There has been an increase in people, especially young people, who are struggling with mental health concerns, stress, and trauma.\u00a0 There is a definite connection between trauma and substance use disorder.\u00a0 In 2020, more than 59.3 million people 12 years old or older admitted using illicit drugs in the previous year.\u00a0 Although opioid prescribing has decreased, this has not stopped the increasing number of deaths due to opioid use.\u00a0 In 2021, 107,000 people died from an opioid related overdose\u20263,000 of those deaths happened in Michigan.<\/p>\n
Substance misuse and addictions come in many forms and affect people from all walks of life.\u00a0 Judgment of a person who has used substances to cope with their life\u2019s adversity only harms that person more.\u00a0 Compassion is the key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marissa\u2019s legacy lives on\u2026in the work of COPE and in her beloved theatre family.\u00a0 She is with us back stage for every CST production.\u00a0 New generations of the CST family are learning the lessons of passion, dedication, love, and loss that her story teaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you, or someone you love, is dealing with substance use disorder, contact Copenetwork.org for help and understanding. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||31px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Marissa’s Mom, Nancy King and her sister Devon King, with the plaque about Marissa that now hangs back stage near the Stage Manager’s desk during all our performances.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/marissa2.jpg” title_text=”marissa2″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-27px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Marissa’s StoryMarissa Hannah King,\u00a0 21 of\u00a0 Orangeville, Michigan died January 16 2012; born \u00a0November 20, 1990 Kalamazoo, Michigan Marissa, a Comstock High School graduate, Class of 2008 was attending \u00a0KVCC.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2645,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2076\/revisions\/2645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoocst.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}