Joseph Cline

Joseph Cline, of Zoar, passed forward, surrounded by his loving family on March 15. He is safe now with his heavenly Father. Joe was born in Paris, KY on March 28, 1937, later moved to Loudonville, Ohio, then to North Canton.  Joe was a Marine and served in the Marine Reserves. He graduated from Akron U. with a degree in accounting.

He was preceded in death by his father, mother, two nieces, one nephew and one great nephew.

He is survived by his loving wife, Kaye, of 55 years, son Matthew (Kristin) of Springfield, OH, and daughter Heather Cline of Chicago, IL.

Joe was extremely proud and dearly loved his granddaughters, Merrill Cline, a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy and multi-talented Rachael Cline. Both girls are kind and generous to all, which made him most proud.

He is survived by his sister, Shirley Cline-Kaczur, of Aurora, many loving nieces, nephews, grand nephews and nieces. He is also survived by his pug, Tank, who gave him so much joy.

Welcomed into our family with love are Tom and Monica Mobley and their wonderful children, Cori, Seth & Joel of Hamilton, OH. Joe loved each of them dearly and was their Grandpa Joe

He was employed as a cost accountant for the Ford Motor Company Forging Plant in Canton until they closed. He then worked for Aircraft Braking Systems in Akron as a cost accountant until his retirement.  Joe loved Zoar and served as chairman of the Planning Commission bringing to it his knowledge of the law and due process. His vast knowledge made him the go-to man for advice.  He served on Malone University’s Human Research committee (off-campus), was a member of the Zoar Community Association, and St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bolivar. Joe was also a member of the Put-In-Bay Yacht Club and was a former member of Atwood Yacht Club where he was regatta chairman and club treasurer. He was responsible for reinstalling the burgee tradition in the new bar room. He and Kaye shared their love of Classical Music and had season tickets to the Canton Symphony Orchestra.  The Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music were special treats for them. They also shared their love of sailing, owning way too many boats and ending up with his beloved “Okaye” Flying Scot, he was always joking that when he died Kaye would put in his obituary:

“Joe Cline died, Boat For Sale.”

He studied the Greeks, Romans, Shakespeare, the Bible, Military History and other philosophers.  His favorite course in college was Western Cultural Traditions. He was a fan of baseball and football and could hardly wait for spring training to begin. His favorite movies were film noir; Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, and Band of Brothers.  He could recite words from many movies, and he was a hilarious storyteller. Of their many travels, the beaches of Normandy, France were most moving for him.

Joe valued your friendship and treasured each and every one of you.

His favorite poem was:

Requiem

By: Robert Louis Stevenson

Under the wide and starry sky,

Dig the grave and let me lie.

Glad did I live and gladly die,

And I laid me down with a will

This be the verse you grave for me:

Here he lies where he longed to be;

Home is the sailor, home from sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.

Due to Covid restrictions, a celebration of Joe’s life will take place this summer in Zoar, on August 15th, 2021 at the Zoar School House from 2-6 pm. There will be a private Christian burial in Zoar Cemetery.

My sincere thanks to our dear neighbors Wyatt and Emily Hays, the Bolivar Fire Department and the kind attendants of Crossroads Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Zoar Community Association, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Crossroads Hospice of Green, or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bolivar.