Sarah Kline

Sarah Louann “Lani” Kline died peacefully on May 16, 2018, at The Center at Foresight, Grand Junction, after a long and happy life. She was 91 years old.   The Kline family is very grateful to the 2nd floor team at Foresight who took such loving care of Lani, as well as the devoted team of hospice workers from HopeWest.

While she spent most of her adult life in California and Colorado, at heart she was a Texan girl. She was born January 20, 1927, in Decatur Illinois, to Philip Gregory King and Harriet Virginia Halladay. She is the granddaughter of Louis Putnam Halladay, a successful inventor and automobile designer (The Halladay Roadster). In  1932, at the age of 5, Grandpa Halladay and his extended family moved to Harlingen, Texas to start citrus grove farms. Lani had an idyllic childhood, with her brother Halladay King (deceased 1959), and cousin Jack Grimm (deceased 2014).  She recalled going to Padre Island crab fishing with her father, and to Matamoras Mexico often for dinner and touring the beautiful plaza. She graduated as salutatorian from Harlingen High School in 1943.

She attended the University of Illinois, Champlain Urbana, and after marriage, completed her BA at the University of Rochester in 1948. Like her mother, Lani was a sorority sister in Kappa Alpha Theta. In 1946, she married Major Frederick Hays Kline, (deceased 1999) who served as a photo intelligence specialist during WWII, 14th Air force, under General Claire Chennault, in the India, Burma and China theatre.  Fred’s career with Kodak after the war, started Lani’s married life first in Rochester, NY, and then Palo Alto, California. Together, they raised two children, Pamela Ward Baker of Moab, Utah (Quentin Baker), and Philip Gregory Kline of Washington, DC (Julia M Brennan).

Lani was a woman of the world – she loved to travel, visiting 127 countries in her lifetime. In 1962, the Kline family embarked on an epic yearlong trip around the world, settling temporarily in New Zealand. Lani loved to chronicle and write, and in 1969 published a travelogue of her NZ days. Along the way, Lani became an inveterate collector of bracelets from around the world, and miniatures of all sorts. As her friends all know, she amassed a most extraordinary collection of miniature artifacts and treasures, all of which she displayed beautifully in her home.

Lani will be remembered for her sharp memory, near-computer like retention of dates and details, and her passion for archiving. Locally in GJ, she is remembered as a winning bridge player, and cross word puzzle lover. Full of curiosity, she read widely and loved to go on road trips to national parks and adventures with her family. She was committed to PEO, a philanthropic women’s organization, dedicated to providing scholarships in the US and around the world. Lani was one of the 60-year members, and her commemorative pin was presented to her during her final days at the Foresight Center. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church, which gave her great solace in her last years.

Lani leaves behind four grandchildren (Neil Baker and Jenny Frueh of Castle Rock, CO; and Sara and Halsey Swetzoff of Washington DC) and five great grandchildren. Here in GJ, she leaves a community of dear friends, her beloved PEO sisters, her church, and all those who she touched in daily life.

A memorial service will take place on Wednesday, June 6, at 11:00 AM,  at the First Presbyterian Church, 3940 27 ½ Rd, Grand Junction, CO  81506.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to

HopeWest Hospice Care Center, Grand Junction, CO., or

The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship. https://donations.peointernational.org/peo-donation-ips