Donald G. Kline

Donald Gene Kline, 86, of Cheyenne, Wyoming passed away peacefully on January 6th (2023) at Davis Hospice surrounded by his loving family and friends. Don was born in La Harpe, Illinois on November 8, 1936 to Ethel Loraine (Pat) Daves and Kermit Earl Kline near the family farm in Blandinsville, Illinois.

Don joined the Air Force in June of 1954 and initially worked as an aircraft instrument repairman. Throughout his ten year career in the Air Force, he worked on air sampling equipment, various electronic fields, and ended his career maintaining the IBM 360 Computer System. He left the Airforce in December of 1964 after having served in Lackland AFB, Texas, Chanute AFB, Illinois, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, Pepperell AFB, Newfoundland, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, Keesler AFB, Mississippi, FSD, NY, and Fort Lee, Virginia.

Don met the love of his life, Nancy Louise Calhoun in Gastonia, North Carolina while serving at Shaw AFB. They married on October 1, 1955 and moved to Saint John’s Newfoundland.

After he left the Air Force, Don worked for IBM as a Systems Test Tech in Kingston, New York before transferring to The Research Triangle in North Carolina in 1966 to work as a Production Test Tech, and then later as a Tech Instructor. Nancy went cosmetology school in Raleigh during their later years in North Carolina.

In the spring of 1971, Don grew tired of the rat race and the social upheaval of the times, so he bought a farm in Southwest Kansas and went into the custom haying business with his brother, Jim Kline. Since farming, especially hay farming, is primarily a summertime job, Don started a TV sales and repair shop in Kinsley, Kansas where he sold and serviced GE, Motorola, and Zenith televisions. At this time, Nancy opened Nancy’s Beauty Boutique to supplement the winter income. Kline’s TV eventually moved into the realm of business two-way radios and repeaters, and the name of the business changed to Kline’s TV & 2Way. He also owned the CATV systems in Lewis, Kansas and Offerle, Kansas. Don joined the Kansas Air National guard in 1980 and retired in 1996.

Don loved motorcycles, fast cars, and airplanes. He kept a motorcycle around until just last year. He learned to fly in 1959 and always had an airplane or two, his favorite being a red and white Piper 235.

Don is survived by his wife, Nancy; two sons, Ron Kline (Jill) Laramie, Wyoming and Rick Kline (Rhonda) Jay Oklahoma; five grandchildren, Matt Kline (Jie), Mike Kline (Jena), Kristina Kline, Jace Kline (Caroline), and Carissa Kline; five great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kermit Kline; stepmother, Elvera Kline; stepfather, Thurman Fisher, mother Pat Fisher, and brother Jim Kline.

Services will be at the Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel of the chimes on Wednesday, January 11 at 10 A.M. with the viewing taking place on Tuesday, January 10 from 1 – 5 P.M. To send the family condolences please visit www.wrcfuneral.com
Charitable donations may be sent to Saint Joseph’s Home for children in Torrington, WY, The National Kidney Foundation, or the American Heart Association.