Shirley Jean Steinmetz

Shirley Jean Kline was born on 13 January 1930 and died on 22 July 2020. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Frank Menefee Kline, her daughter Dr. Margaret Lynn Kline her son Frank Fries Kline, her grandsons Dylan and Jason and her great-granddaughter Charlie Madison Kline.

Her parents were Arthur and Margaret Steinmetz. Her grandfather H. M. Fries started out delivering hardware in a wheelbarrow in Cincinnati Ohio. He was smart and a hard worker. Eventually he owned his own hardware store. It was an absolutely dream of a hardware store. After he died Shirley’s mother Margaret ran the store. Just before World War II Shirley’s mother asked her to order a dozen saws. Shirley by accident ordered 12 dozen. The net result was that Fries hardware had hand saws during World War II, when no one else had saws. Shirley was always lucky.

She grew up among relatives in the German community in Cincinnati. The family helped to found Martini Evangelical Reformed Church. Shirley, her parents, and her grandparents attended church every week. Her grandmother organized and ran the church kitchen. No one argued with her.

Shirley was an only child. She was a straight A student in grade school. For high school Shirley went to, what we would now call, a magnet school. At Walnut Hills high School, she took the bus through 2 transfers and over two hours each way every day to attend. She was a straight A student. As part of the science project she did research on the embryology of the guinea pig and did dissections and drawings at every stage of gestation. She won the school science prize, as a result and partly with encouragement from one of her teachers, she applied to Wellesley College. She received a full scholarship. At Wellesley she got her first B and was devastated. She got over it, as she usually did when dealing with life’s problems. She made lifelong friends at Wellesley and everywhere she traveled. She returned to Cincinnati after her 2nd year and started premed as a biology major. She was so competent that they used her, while she was an undergraduate, to teach the other premeds. When she applied to medical school the Dean told her, if she applied, they would have to accept her because of her grades and her credentials. He also said you may not want to take some man’s place and then get married and have children and not practice. She decided to take a few years off and worked as a lab technician at Cincinnati General Hospital. While working in the lab she met her husband. They were married for over 67 years. It was a good marriage and two outstanding children were part of the result.
Shirley was obviously intelligent and a hard worker. Any organization she joined she was president. At age 70 she said I am not going to be president anymore. She kept her word. She was active in PTA and an avid equestrian. She owned and rode horses until she was in her 70s. Shirley read music and was a fine coral singer. At one point the Greg Smith Corral Group wanted her to go on tour with them. She refused. Later she sang in the St. Luke’s choir. She was an exceptional seamstress. She made her own clothes and made shirts for me. She was a fine quilter and a member of the South Bay Quilting Society.
She made friends that she kept for a lifetime. We got many notes and emails, after her death, from people who said how helpful she had been to them at horse shows, quilt meetings and as a friend. Shirley founded, with Joe Lehman, The Palos Verdes Horseman’s Association. She was their 1st president.
She also kept an open house when her children were in grade school. All of their friends were welcome. Many have very fond memories of her hospitality and her provision of food after school. Shirley had a smile, that has one friend commented, could light up a room.
She was organized and disciplined and expected others to be the same. She was also an extremely kind and loving person once you got past the German perfectionistic veneer.
We have been members of St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church for over 30 years. Shirley was at one time or another, a deacon, a member of the mission commission and she ran the program to make casseroles for the indigent and homeless.
Her dementia started when she was 80. But she was so bright that only her husband detected it. The dementia gradually worsened and for the last year of her life she was bedridden. She had several loving and competent caregivers. Even in her debilitated state she was loving and well loved. Her hearing remained acute. She often surprises us with sudden perceptive comments. Hospice was a wonderful help to us during her last year. Shirley’s hearing remained excellent. She slept a great deal but was surprisingly present when she was awake.
Every night Justina, Shirley primary caregiver Justina, said. Good night our pretty girl, Sweet dreams & god bless you. We love you (kiss kiss kiss). Then Shirley went peacefully to sleep.

Someone summed up Shirley’s life by saying; She made the world a better place and if there is anything after this life, she will make that better too.
Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away to the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effect. Without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was. There is absolute unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you. For an interval. Somewhere. Very near. Just around the corner. All is well.

Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ. Henry Scott Holland

The memorial service will be online in September 2020.
Instead of flowers, donations may be made to St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church 26825 Rolling Hills Rd. Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. In the check write Shirley Kline Memorial Fund in the memo line.

In leiu of flowers please consider donating to Shirley Kline's memorial fund @ St Luke's Presbyterian Church; 26825 Rolling Hills Rd., Rolling Hills estates, CA. 90274. (310) 377-2825.