David Lee Kline

Kline, David Lee of Lake Mills, died peacefully at Rainbow Hospice Care of pancreatic cancer on April 13, 2022 at age 72, surrounded by his family. Dave was born in Madison, Wisconsin on December 8, 1949 to Dr. Virginia E. (March) and Bernerd E. Kline. He graduated from Madison West High School in 1968 and attended UW-Madison. He served in the United States Air Force from 1970-1976 as an Aircraft Engine Mechanic, leaving immediately after the birth of his first child for a tour of duty at Phù Cát air base in South Vietnam. After military service, he completed intensive coursework in electronics and subsequently worked for 36 years in Milwaukee at Unisys (and its predecessor Burroughs) as a Field Engineer responsible for hardware maintenance at a mainframe computer data center for a regional bank. He formally retired in 2014, but continued to entertain himself as a programmer for the Wisconsin Athletic Club. Dave is survived by his wife of 36 years, Kathy Shufelt Kline, and his 5 children: Christofer (Nicole) Kline of Grafton, Meghan (Michael) Huss of Appleton, Dr. Douglas Kline (Stephanie Zaas) of Kenosha, Kevin (Heather) Kline of Menomonee Falls, and Katelyn (Joel) Vega of Middleton; 9 grandchildren: Brandon, Nathan and Matthew Kline; Jeromy, Damian, and Gabriel Huss; Ana Kline; Mia and Evelyn Vega; and great-granddaughter Athena Kline. Dave is further survived by siblings Sarah (James) Kline-Stensvold of St. Paul, Cynthia (Neil) Gleason of Madison, and Thomas (Janet) Kline of Ithaca, NY; and Wisconsin Dells area brothers-in-law Michael (Mavis Pfister) Shufelt and John (Sandra Salem) Shufelt; and 5 nieces and 5 nephews. He was preceded in death by a former spouse, Nicki Dean of Madison. As a child, Dave dismantled every mechanical object within reach. As an adult, he was a wizard at putting them back together. Dave found personal satisfaction in solving problems over a wide range of disciplines. He maintained a decades-long mastery of the rapidly evolving field of computer electronics and eagerly explored other fields, including computer programming and immunology when a son took a PhD in that field. Dave was unusually generous with his time, which made him an easy mark for family and friends who needed help with car repair, computer repair, kitchen and bath remodeling, electrical work, general construction, dog training and jigsaw puzzles. After his cancer diagnosis, he diligently completed his family to-do list while bouncing 3 toddler granddaughters on his knees. In his final months, Dave expressed surprise and deep appreciation for the sheer number of people who contacted, visited and cooked for him. It never occurred to him that decades of skillful and cheerful help to others had earned him a legion of admirers. His passing has opened a hole in our family that is beyond repair. Many thanks for the tender care provided by the staff of Rainbow Hospice in Johnson Creek. Memorials may be made to Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Wisconsin, PO Box 867, Menomonee Falls, WI 53052, www.starsandstripeshonorflight.org/donate/. A memorial gathering will be held on Friday, April 29, from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm at Milford Hills, W5670 French Rd, Johnson Creek. May Dave’s memory be a blessing.