John William Cline

John William Cline died 1 November 2022 in the Emergency Room of Abrazo Hospital, Surprise, Arizona. He was the son of Dr. Merton Lewis Cline and Pauline Kelly, born 11 October 1930 in Madison, Lake County, South Dakota. John was the fourth child and his siblings who predeceased him were Margaret Ann Cline Dyas, Pauline Lois Cline Kinder, and Dr. Donald F. Cline. His younger sister is still living.

John graduated from Plainview High School in Nebraska in 1949, one of a class of thirty-four. He married Redella Menning in 1950 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Plainview and his best man was his brother Donald.

He was inducted into the U. S. Army in 1952, Omaha, Nebraska as a Private and attended the Signal School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey from December 1952 to July 1953. He said his favorite assignment was working in the basement of the White House, where he remembered being very well fed by the White House staff. An Honorable Discharge for Corporal John W. Cline came in 1960.

John met his second wife while working for AT&T in Kansas City and they were joined in marriage for 56 years. Their last assignment for AT&T was in San Francisco.

John was a traveler and admitted he always wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill. He bought a little travel trailer soon after their marriage and they enjoyed weekend camp outs with their children and the Apple Corps RV Club. Retirement began in 1983 and then the real traveling started. Winters were spent traveling the United States and sometimes the world during the summers.

John loved to cook and follow the cooking shows; a fan of Alton Brown in particular. He was a good man who lived a long and fruitful life, had a wonderful sense of humor, and was loyal to his family. He will be greatly missed by a sister, his wife, two sons, one step-son, five grandsons and two granddaughters.

It was John’s wish to be cremated and the arrangements are being handled by Surprise Funeral Care. A Celebration of His Life is being planned for a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.surprisefuneralcare.com for the Cline family.