Donald “Don” Michael Cline Sr., 87, entered into rest June 10, 2020, at his home in San Manuel with Dorothy, his wife of 64 years, at his side.
Don was a lifelong miner who worked a the San Manuel copper mine; the Grants Mining District in northwestern New Mexico; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, NM; the Rocky Mountain Hydroelectric Plant in Rome, GA; and the ASARCO Ray Mine in Kearny.
He also spent 15 years as a mechanic and service attending at the Dicus Chevron Station in San Manuel. His is remembered by friends and family as an avid softball pitcher and billiards player who participated in regional leagues and tournaments.
Don was born Jan. 4, 1933, in Twin Branch, WV, to Amos and Ollie Cline. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a mechanic at the Thule Air Base in Greenland. Following an honorable discharge in 1956, Don moved to Arizona to work at the newly built mining town of San Manuel. He married Dorothy Ann Fritz in 1957 in Nogales, AZ, and the couple raised their seven children in San Manuel.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; children, Donna Husted (Terry) of Absarokee, MT, Donald “Mike” Cline Jr. of San Manuel, Darwin Cline of White Bluff, TN, Denise Cline of Absarokee, MT, Douglas Cline (Tiffany) of San Manuel, and Damon Cline (Erica) of Augusta, GA; nine grandchildren, Kimberly Newman, Melissa Husted, Justin Cline, Robert Wayne Cline, Brian Cline, Lexi Cline, Logan Cline, Alex Cline, Lukas Cline, Chad DeCino and Angela DeCino; and great-grandchildren, Allison and Quincy Husted, Sadie Rose Henderson, Damian, Lindzey, Benjamin and Mackenzie Rose Cline, and Sinatra Cline Macy.
He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Diana Cline; grandson, Richard Eichelberg; brothers, Amos Jr. and Milton Cline; and sisters, Joan Wyatt, Wilma Bailey and Lela Bailey.
Services will be held at a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.