(Ret) John F Kline

Lt. Col. (Ret.) John F. Kline, Jr.

Lt. Col. John F. Kline, Jr., age 63, of Copley Township passed away April 13, 2016 following a long illness.

He was the son of John F. Kline, Sr., and Ann D. Kline. John was an Army veteran who served 5 years active duty and 17 years with the U.S. Army Reserves achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He graduated from the University of Akron earning Master's degrees in History and Political Science. He taught for over 20 years as adjunct faculty with the History Department and worked as a cataloging specialist at Bierce Library for 32 years. In addition to spending time with his family, John enjoyed metal detecting and "talking rocks" with dear friends, David and Allen. Always a soldier, John embraced life with great optimism, courage and dignity.

Preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law, Milton Nelson; John is survived by his loving wife, Marcia; mother-in-law, Sarah Nelson; sister, Suzanne Reali; brother, Mark (Tina) Kline; brother-in-law, Rick Nelson M.D. (Susan); sister-in-law, Linda (Tim) Brown; nieces, Renee and Lisa Reali, Amanda Stahr, Kimberly and Leigh Nelson and Sondra Brown; nephew, Nicholas Reali; and great nephews, Jameson and Finnegan Stahr.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. WEDNESDAY, April 20 at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 1686 S. Cleveland-Massillon Rd., Copley, OH. Interment at Rose Hill Burial Park with military honors provided by Copley Veterans Post and the U.S. Army. Friends may call on TUESDAY, April 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel, 85 N. Miller Rd. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 3500 Embassy Parkway, Suite 150, Fairlawn, OH 44333. (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)