Loren Cline
Newton Kansan
Loren Cline, almost 83, died peacefully
Thursday (March 25, 2010) at Newton Medical Center after a long
battle with leukemia.
Loren was born on April 1, 1927, in
Little River, the only son of Ira and Neva (Patterson) Cline. A
sister had died as an infant before his birth.
He grew up on a farm east of Lyons. He
lost his left arm at age, 9 but went on to play football at Lyons
High School and graduated on May 17, 1945.
Loren attended Kansas State University
in Manhattan for two years, from 1945 to 1947, before he took over
the family farm when his parents retired.
He was active at Saxman Presbyterian
Church and then Lyons First Christian Church, where he taught Sunday
school and was active in Regional Men's Work.
To supplement farm income, he was an
insurance salesman; traveled with the Farmer's Union; ran a riding
stable; and did custom harvesting in the Midwest.
At age 50, he went back to college. He
received his bachelor of arts in psychology and sociology from Fort
Hays State University in Hays on Dec. 22, 1979. During this time, he
served Christian churches in Hoisington and Hays as a licensed
minister.
Loren received his master of arts in
gerontology and healthcare administration from Wichita State
University on May 17, 1981.
After interning at Kansas Christian
Home in Newton, he became CEO of Baton W. Stone Christian Home in
Jacksonville, Ill. During his 16 years of service there, he oversaw
building projects that doubled the size of the facility.
While in Jacksonville, he taught some
classes at MacMurray College and at Illinois College; was very active
in Rotary International at the local and district levels and became a
Paul Harris Fellow; was active at Central Christian Church and at the
regional and general levels of the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ); and preached in many Illinois Christian churches. He also
did pulpit supply at Presbyterian churches in Carrollton, White Hall
and Jacksonville, Ill.
On June 16, 1984, he married June
Christensen Cline in Walla Walla, Wash.
After his retirement from Barton W.
Stone Christian Home, he served in interim nursing home positions in
Indiana and Florida for the National Benevolent Association.
In 2000, he retired to Newton, where he
went back to school and became certified as a substance abuse
counselor and formed a partnership with his daughter in Comprehensive
Counseling and Consultation LLC in Salina. He served there as a
therapist.
He was active in First Christian Church
in Newton and worked in Men's Work at the local, district and
regional levels.
He did pulpit supply at Christian
Churches in Kansas and received the Licensed Minister Emeritus from
Christian Church in Kansas. He served on the board of Kansas
Christian Home and helped manage farm land they had been given in
western Kansas.
Loren loved and was very proud of his
four children: Patricia Cline of Bangor, Maine, Marie Frost of
Salina, Curtis (Susan) Cline of Wichita, Sam (Carol) Cline of Lyons;
and of his 15 grandchildren and their spouses; and 11
great-grandchildren. He and June always encouraged them to continue
their education.
Loren was preceded in death by his
parents and two grandsons.
The funeral service for Loren Cline
will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at First Christian Church in Newton, with
the Rev. Gary Bell presiding.
Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m.
Monday at Petersen Funeral Home, with the family present from 6:30 to
8 p.m.
A second funeral service will be at
2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Birzer-Sillin Funeral Home in Lyons. Interment
will follow in the Lyons City Cemetery.
Memorials may be left with First
Christian Church in Newton, First Christian Church of Lyons or Kansas
Christian Home Assisted Living in care of Petersen Funeral Home, 215
N. Main St., Newton, KS 67114
