Mr. Sidney Robert Kline

Sidney Robert Kline, 87, passed peacefully July 4, 2014. Sid was born in 1926 in Walkerville(Butte), MT, middle child of Franklin I. and Ruth M. Kline (Rodger). Slightly past its mining heyday, Walkerville was still a tough town to grow up in. Sid said, “You could get beat up there anytime!” and told stories of the hilarious but dangerous antics of the rough and tumble miners. Luckily, he never had to work the mines. He enlisted in the US Navy during WW II, serving on the USS Frontier and completing electronics training. After discharge, he attended the Montana School of Mines and Montana State University, earning a degree in Electrical Engineering. Sid joined the Naval Electronics Lab in San Diego in 1965. The UK/US Conformal/Planar Array Sonar project and Project Cormoran(France) were among his memorable assignments prior to retiring in 1987. Sid also owned an avocado and citrus grove in Bonsall, CA for many years, and was elected to the Board of the CA Avocado Commission. Sid embraced avocado farming 100%, as he did everything. One challenge: outwitting coyotes which chewed the drip irrigation lines. He doggedly pursued a solution and didn't’t rest until he came up with one. In San Diego he met the love of his life, Beatrice A. Abell; they wed in 1972. In retirement Sid and Beatrice traveled extensively. A skilled photographer, he recorded the sights from Bar Harbor to Beijing , Las Vegas to Leningrad. Sid relished visits to historic regions: ancient Ephesus, Turkey was most memorable. The natural beauty of Alaska, and the man-made ingenuity of the Panama Canal were other favorites. He did exhaustive research into family genealogy, kept in touch with a wide range of relatives, and enjoyed model building. Sid is preceded in death by siblings Franklin Kline, Jr. and Janet Kober. He is survived by wife Beatrice (his "gem"), and four children: Sydney Aiello, Rodger Kline, Bruce Kline, and Catherine Kline, and grandsons David P. Aiello and Michael R. Aiello, and great-grandchildren Devin Aiello, Sophia Aiello and David Leo Aiello. He will always remain in our hearts through our memories. Viewing is scheduled for Monday July 28, 2014 from 6 - 8pm at El Camino Memorial, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego. The funeral service and burial will be 10:00am Tuesday July 29, 2014 at El Camino, with a brief reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Disabled American Veterans (dav.org 1-877-426-2838), St. Paul's McColl Health Center, San Diego, CA (stpaulseniors.org 619-239-6900) or a charity of your choice.