Allan Cline, the father of Ron Cline who served as HCJB Global's president from 1981 to 2001 and continues to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees, died in California on Sunday, Aug. 25, following a long illness. He was 95 years old.
Allan was born on Jan. 31, 1912, in Nunn, Colo., to a pioneer farming family. He was the youngest of seven children.
After finishing high school, he worked as an auto mechanic and drove his own car as a school bus. He and his wife, Helen, married in 1934, and they had been married 72 years when Helen died earlier this year. They had two children, Barbara and Ron.
In 1940 Allan packed up the family and drove to California. They lived first in El Cajon, then in San Diego. It was in El Cajon that Allan became a Christian at the age of 28 and adopted his life's battle cry, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
He worked for the government during the war, keeping the B-24 "Liberators" flying, and then continued his work as an auto mechanic until he retired in 1977. The Clines spent 1978 in Quito on a year-long mission with HCJB Global.
The Clines belonged to Scott Memorial Baptist Church in San Diego where Allan was active as a deacon, trustee, leader of the men's fellowship and a youth sponsor. In later years they attended First Baptist Church of La Mesa, Calif., First Baptist Church of Hemet, Calif., and Fellowship of the Pass Church in Beaumont, Calif.
He leaves a daughter, Barbara Brown of California; a son, Ron Cline of Colorado; six grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. He and Helen were also foster parents to 24 children.
Ron Cline says, "We are all of his house! We all feel his commitment to serve the Lord with our lives."
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept 6, at the Fellowship of the Pass Church in Beaumont. Memorial gifts may be sent to HCJB Global marked "Goroko Project" in Papua New Guinea.
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