Brandon King used to meet his father at Dunkin’ every day before work.

They’d fuel up with coffee and doughnuts, King said, before spending the day working on renovations or remodels for Ocean Properties, a hotel management and development company.

The pair bounced back and forth between projects in Florida and Maine, where Mark King, a 42-year employee and project manager for the company, also spent time at his camp and with friends.

Their most recent job was renovating the interior of the Bar Harbor Regency Hotel. The father and son were on the site early on Feb. 24 when the large overhang near the entrance of the hotel collapsed and killed Mark King.

Brandon King saw the collapse and tried to rescue his father from the debris.

“In that chaos, I felt the weight of loss and helplessness,” Brandon King wrote in a text message. “But even in that darkness, I know Mark would want us to remember the light he brought into our lives.”

The 64-year-old man from Florida was declared dead at the scene when first responders arrived. It’s unclear exactly what caused the collapse, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office is investigating. The federal agency, as well as local police and fire departments, have declined to answer questions about what may have caused the collapse. The property owners did not respond to requests for comment.

Brandon King said in a phone interview Tuesday that he’s taking time off work to process the loss — it won’t be the same without his father, his boss and “partner in crime.”

Mark King was a dedicated worker and put his whole heart into every project, even if it meant working seven days a week, his son said. Brandon King started working for his father after high school and hopes to keep his legacy going in his own work.

Mark King lived in primarily in Florida’s Boynton Beach, near Ocean Properties headquarters on the state’s east coast. When hurricanes would flood any of the company’s properties nearby, he was on top of any damage, sometimes cleaning up and pushing sand himself, his son said.

Even outside of work, Mark King was passionate about renovations. He planned to move to Maine during his retirement after finishing work on his house at “King Camp” on Chemo Pond in Penobscot County, which he bought about four years ago. He was talented at refinishing and improving spaces, his son said, and taught him everything he knew.

He also enjoyed riding and tuning up his motorcycle and, in Maine, his snowmobile.

Brandon King remembers his family’s trips to Maine started when he was 6 years old. His father wanted to return to Maine, where he had built close friendships, and to be closer to family that lives in the state, his son said.

Mark King taught his sons, Cody and Brandon King, and his daughter, Cassidy Edwards, about the importance of generosity, Brandon King said. He was a loving husband to his wife, Sharon, and the whole family, including his grandchildren, will remember him as a “pillar of strength,” he said.

“Anything we did in our lives, he would be there for us.”