Donald W. Cline passed away on April 16, 2023, in McKinney, Texas at the age of 84. He was born April 23, 1938, in Slaton, Texas to Ralph Lindsey Cline and Annis Norma Donald.
He moved to El Paso, Texas as a young child and grew up in El Paso, graduating from Ysleta High School. Don met Kathleen Regan there and after Don returned from serving overseas in the U.S. Army, they were married on April 12, 1959, and spent the next 64 years together.
Don attended Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso). He was a career-long entrepreneur. Starting as a child, he planted okra and sold it to the neighborhood store. He worked for Furr’s grocery and was later employed by El Paso Natural Gas. Don helped to build one of the earliest computers at Texas Western College, and he helped build rocket propulsion systems for the Apollo space mission at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Don became a salesperson and his young family traveled with him to many open pit mines throughout the southwestern U.S. where he sold equipment. His ultimate entrepreneurial venture was starting his own water purification business selling desalination equipment worldwide before he finally retired.
Don and Kathleen enjoyed family fishing and camping trips in the New Mexico mountains and the national parks. They moved to Ruidoso, New Mexico to enjoy the mountain life until they relocated to McKinney to be closer to family. Don became a member of the noon Lion’s Club of McKinney where he enjoyed his many friends.
Don loved doing genealogy and traced his lineage back to the American Revolution and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. His many talents ranged from home construction to furniture building. Don and Kathleen’s home was always “Cline Central” where teenage friends and later his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and all the grand dogs loved to go. Through the years of family gatherings, they kept a journal of funny things said—now eight volumes long—and Don’s dry sense of humor is present throughout.
Don is survived by his wife, Kathleen Cline of McKinney, Texas; son, Michael Cline and wife, Cindy of Quitman, Texas; son, James Cline and wife, Sharon of Weston, Florida; son, Patrick Cline and Rhonda Tan of Frisco, Texas; grandchildren, Sarah, Christina, Elizabeth, Austin, Selena, and Sophia; great grandchildren, John, Lauren, and Levi; sisters, Carol and Sharon and numerous other loving nieces, nephews, family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph Lindsey Cline and Annis Norma Cline and his sister, Barbara Glasscock.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, April 20, 2023, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. Family and friends are welcome to visit the funeral home at their convenience on Wednesday April 19, 2023, to pay their respects and to sign the register book. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Don’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.
Interment will be held in a private morning service at Dallas Fort-Worth National Cemetery.