Obituary of Jacqueline Jean Kline

Jacqueline Jean (Steele) Kline departed peacefully December 17, 2021. She was born February 9, 1931, in Blanchard, Iowa, to Charles K. (Pat) and Kathleen L (Russell) Steele. The eldest of two children, Jackie attended schools in Blanchard until the 11th grade when she married Wayne L Kline in Marysville, KS., March 11, 1946. They moved to Loveland with Jackie’s parents and her sister, Donna. Jackie and Wayne had 3 sons and 1 daughter. Jackie was very entrepreneurial in the early years of her marriage. She organized a cherry harvest in the orchard on their property on East 7th Street. After the cherry trees were destroyed in a harsh winter, the trees were cleared, and Jackie had cucumbers planted to sell to the pickle factory. She worked for the Denver Post delivering papers on an 82-mile route east and south of Loveland for many years, wearing out two cars in the process. In 1961, Jackie was hired by Hewlett Packard Loveland as employee #49 and began working in a rented quonset hut. In 1962, she moved to the west end of the new Building A on SW 14th Street and remained there for 34 years. At an annual HP picnic at Sylvan Dale Ranch, Jackie was manning the front gate, checking to make sure everyone had their company ID to get in. A man drove up and introduced himself as Dave Packard. Since he had no ID and Jackie didn’t know the man, she refused to allow him to enter, until the site manager vouched for Mr. Packard’s identity. For many years after that first meeting, on his visits to Loveland, Dave Packard would find Jackie in the west end of Bldg A, just to greet her and see how she was doing. She retired from HP in 1995. Jackie taught her children to cook, iron, sew, do laundry, and work. She was a full-time mom, wife, and HP employee. She never missed her kids’ school events, and she had a way of making each child and grandchild feel like he or she was her favorite. Jackie was an avid sports fan who followed all the Colorado major league teams. She was on her high school girls’ basketball team, and she was a Rockies fan from the beginning. She attended as many games as possible, collecting the souvenir pins at each game, which she affixed to a straw hat she wore. That hat eventually was covered with pins and too heavy to wear. Jackie is survived by her sister, Donna M. Steele of Estes Park, CO, and sister-in-law, Peggy Lance of Maryville, MO, and their families; her children Lee (Kathi) of Loveland, William (Deborah) of Windsor, and Linda of Loveland; nephews Ray (Ruth) Kline and Danny Drager of Loveland; six grandchildren, Stephanie (Mark) Miller of Loveland, Kellie (Mike) Ady of Denver, Seth Kline of Windsor, Noah (Lesondra) Kline of Littleton, Christopher (Rachel) Kline of Frederick, and Marja Kline (Jerry LaDoucer) of Loveland. She has 16 great-grandchildren, Evan, Morgan, Noah, Kailee, Connor, Genna, Lilly, Elijah, Shawn, Jane, Jameson, Cameron, Hunter, Kandice, Lizzy, and Hugh; two great-great-grandchildren, Gracie Lynn Briggs, and Miles Miller; and, caregiver and friend DeAnn Smith, plus numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Jackie was preceded in death by her husband Wayne, her parents, Charles K. (Pat) and Kathleen L Steele, June (Goeltl) Steele, widow of Pat Steele, stepbrother Dennis Goeltl, her son David G. Kline, and great-grandson, Jaxson LaDoucer. Funeral services will be held at Viegut Funeral Home in Loveland, CO on January 11, 2022, at 10:30 am. A luncheon reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Bristol Hospice – Northern Colorado LLC or Riverbend Health & Rehabilitation Center (formerly Sierra Vista Health Care Center). Donations and condolences can be made at www.viegutfuneralhome.com.