Gwendolyn Kline

Gwendolyn Kline (Haney), 85, of Plantation, Fl passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 19th 2020 at Westside Regional Medical Center. Gwen (as she was best known) was born on March 12th, 1935 in Moniac, GA. Gwen was so many things to so many people: daughter, sister, wife, aunt, cousin, niece, and friend. But her favorite roles were being a loving mother to her four children and adoring grandmother to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The thing she looked forward to most was anytime she would get to spend with her family. She rarely had a conversation with anyone where she didn’t show pictures or tell stories about one of her loved ones. She was proud and loyal and loved (and was loved by) each member of her family fiercely. Let it also be said, she treated most everyone she met as surrogate family…her arms reached wide and she made sure everyone who knew her felt that love. Gwen gave 30+ dedicated years of her professional life to her career at JCPenney. She was often recognized for the dynamic leader and outstanding employee that she was. She led her family by example, teaching them about having a work ethic and to strive for excellence in all you do. She loved her time there and even showed her loyalty by bringing her family back there every Black Friday she could for an annual day of shopping…instilling the love of “Penneys” in all of us. Gwen was a force. You felt her presence when she entered a room because of her joy…her kindness…her warmth…her smile. Everyone who knew her fell in love with her instantly. She wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable with her feelings…never missing an opportunity to build you up or remind you how much she loved you. She had a wonderful sense of humor, she could laugh at herself, and she was quick as a whip. She was a lover of life, of God, of family and of humanity. She loved spending time with those she loved, preparing a good meal (or a good pie) and playing a game of cards. About thirteen years ago, she started a new “full time job” as she liked to call it, when she began dialysis. She would go to “work” three days a week, and being the bright light that she was, the staff at each facility would be enchanted by her. She was a warrior and showed such strength by never giving up, fighting all the way until the end and showing us what it means to persevere no matter the circumstance. Gwen was survived by three of her beloved children, Barbara Diane Baker (Kline) (and her husband Bob Baker), Albert G. Kline (and his wife Kay Kline), and Ronnie D. Kline. She was predeceased by her parents, John Tyson Haney and Lessie Robinson Haney, her siblings, John Tyson Haney and Louise Turner (Haney) and her son, Steven G. Kline- what a glorious reunion she no doubt had with them this week. She was also the adored “Grandma Gwen” or “GG” (the name which her eldest great-granddaughter gave her) by her many grandchildren and several great grandchildren. One of her greatest memories, as told by her granddaughter Jillian: “I have so many memories I could write about but one of my favorites was the day she calls the best day of her life and that is when my middle child Karadin was born. That delivery was special to her because GG and (my husband) Travis were the only ones in the delivery room with me. GG had never seen a natural birth so I wanted to give her that experience. She was incredible to have by my side and her favorite moment was seeing Karadin come into this world, but my favorite moment was watching my grandma SEE Karadin come into this world. I will never forget that proud face she was making! She called me that night and left a voicemail telling me how strong and beautiful I was and how she was in amazement of what I did. She told me I could do anything and thanked me numerous times. I listened to that voicemail often those first couple months when I had a sleepless night, a struggle during nursing or just felt overwhelmed with two babies. Her words helped me and encouraged me to be the best mom because she believed in me and it got me through alot.” This is one example of the type of memories Gwen left with those who knew her. She was there for us in big moments as well as in small, and her presence will be sorely missed while her impact on each of us lives on. We weren’t ready to say goodbye. We never would have been. There is never enough time with the ones we love. Plus, Gwen seemed larger than life…constantly beating the odds and impressing everyone with her endurance. If she was told she couldn’t do something, she quickly made it her mission to prove them wrong. So, we, naively, thought she might live forever. And actually, she will…in each of us, in our memories, and through our stories as well as eternally in Heaven. She will also live on in name since her daughter Diane passed ‘Gwen’ onto her daughter…Shayna Gwen…who is especially now grateful to have shared that with her grandma and is proud to carry that beautiful name onward. There will always be more to say about Gwen… knowing we could never encapsulate her entire life in a few paragraphs. So, for now, we’ll just say: thank you for blessing us with your life, for marking each of us with your legacy, and finally letting us be the ones to say it last: we love you more. Due to the current Covid19 crisis, we are limited to immediate family being present at the viewing and graveside services occurring this week. Friends and family will gather for a memorial service once it is deemed safe with details forthcoming.