Obituary of Fay Kline

IN LOVING MEMORY OF B. FAY KLINE Bedford Fay Kline, the fourth son of Samuel Winfield and Elsie May (Scott) Kline, was born October 26, 1916, in a three-room sod house on his parent's farm near Lucerne, Kansas, in Graham County. He passed away at the Andbe Home in Norton, Kansas, on December 23, 2010, at the age of 94. Fay attended country grade school at Goshen and graduated from the Lenora Rural High School in May 1935. He enjoyed playing basketball, baseball, and football during his high school years and stayed in Lenora with old ladies and batched it while attending high school. Some weekends he would walk close to 13 miles to the farm to help his parents. Following graduation, when he was not helping on the farm he worked in the hay fields for farmers in Colorado, and also picked corn in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado. On March 6, 1939, Fay married his high school sweetheart, Georgia Mae Allen, in Norton. They lived one-half mile north of his birthplace on the Chalmer Teel farm in a sod house. To this union two children were born; Carolyn Ruth and Samuel Allen, who passed away November 2, 1963. In March 1946, they moved to his birthplace when his parents retired and moved into Lenora. His loving wife, Georgia, passed away March 14, 1977, and Fay continued to live on the farm until May 2010, when illness and major surgery made it necessary for him to go to the nursing home. Fay was a very energetic farmer and took pride in his work. He raised cattle and for several years sold his feedlot calves at St. Joseph, Missouri. He also raised hogs, milked cows, broke saddle horses and enjoyed making a good saddle horse. Fay played town team basketball and baseball until he was 40 years old and also umpired games for the K-18 league for many years. In the early 1960s, he took up the game of golf and spent many hours keeping the sand greens in shape on the golf course east of Lenora. He also had a love for bowling. Fay spent many, many joyous hours with nature and the outdoors. He enjoyed sharing with others the fruits of his labors from his hunting quail and pheasant, fishing, and gardening. For extra income in the winter he trapped beaver, mink, muskrat, raccoon, and coyote. He would skin the animals, stretch the hide, and then find a buyer for the skins. His first deer hunt was in Colorado, in 1954. In more recent years he was known for trapping many gophers on his land and for friends. Fay was a great fan of the New York Yankees and the Kansas State Wildcats. He followed them very closely on the radio, in the newspaper, and on television. During the last few years he spent many hours on the telephone replaying the games with his nephew, Dean Kline. In September 1953, Fay accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. He was a member of the Church of God in Lenora, and was very dedicated in the upkeep of the building and parsonage. Survivors include: his daughter, Ruth Curtis, of rural Smith Center, Kansas; four grandchildren, Gaye, and husband, Dan Daniels, Jewell, Kansas; Jennifer Curtis and Kevin Curtis, both of Lincoln, Nebraska; and Alan Curtis, Denver, Colorado; three great-grandchildren, Micah, Hannah, and Noah Daniels, Jewell; many other relatives and friends. Fay was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, one son, Sammy, one son-in-law, Bob Curtis, and three brothers, Elmer, Gareld, and Wilbur Kline. Memorials may be made to Hospice Services of Norton County and the Andbe Home.