Obituary of Dolores Henrietta Kline

It is with profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother, Dolores Henrietta Kline (née Degagne), on September 10, 2024. After a celebrated 95 year life, mom now reunited with our dad, her adoring husband Art, who passed away 12 years before her. 

Born on February 1, 1929, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Dolores lived a beautiful life centered around family and fun. At 17, she married our Dad, her beloved husband Art Kline (deceased in 2012), and together they raised us, their  four children: Wayne (Caroline), Dean (Pam), Debbie (Spencer) and Pam. They eventually welcomed two more generations into their beautiful family including 10 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. One of 15 siblings, Dolores is survived only by her younger sister, Ronnie.  Her family was her unwavering pride and her greatest joy. 

Mom worked as a hairdresser in Winnipeg in her early years before moving to Ottawa and becoming a lab operator at Microsystems International, later Nortel. She retired in her mid-to-late 40s, fixed up their van with a mattress and she and Dad spent the next almost 20 years as "Winter Texans," dividing their time between Texas and their cottage on Mississippi Lake near Perth, Ontario.

In Texas, they embraced the local lifestyle, enjoying simple pleasures like making margaritas with the lime trees in their yard, square dancing, and spending time on South Padre Island boiling fresh shrimp with sea water a stone's throw away. Summers at Mississippi lake were filled with daily walks, pickerel fishing, and evenings by the fire with friends, family and a few drinks, sometimes followed by a skinny dip. 

In 1993, Mom and Dad were drawn home for good by the arrival of yet 2 more grandchildren. In those next years, Mom embraced every minute of spending time with her family, in between bridge games with her new friends, a hobby that served her well when she eventually moved into a retirement home. Her life was full, and she will be remembered fondly by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Ottawa Heart Institute woud be appreciated.