Robert Cline

ASHEVILLE ' Robert Fairbank Cline, 96, of Asheville, passed away Saturday, November 6, 2010. He was born October 27, 1914, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of Carl Gordon and Esther Valerie Hansenburg Cline.
In 1922 his family moved to Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they lived during Robert's early education years. He had summer jobs at Queenston Power Plant and at the Norton Company in Chippewa during his college years, where he returned to work after graduating from the University of Toronto, School of Practical Science.
When World War II broke out he was frozen in his engineering job at the Norton Company, which was a subsidiary of an American company, and unknowingly took part in the development of the atomic bomb.
Following the war, he left his job to secure his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Not being able to find work in Canada, he returned to the USA and became an American citizen. He became a member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) as a Professional Consulting Engineer. He would be called in when a company's own engineers needed help in problem solving. In this capacity he had opportunity to crisscross the country, and had lunch in the restaurant of the twin towers in New York two weeks before it was bombed in 1993. He traveled to many countries around the world, including Mexico, Venezuela, Germany, and South Africa, and always had lots of stories to tell about his many travels.
He was married for 64 years to Lolita (Fernandez), formerly of Niagara Falls, Ontario, until she died in Temple City, CA, in 2000, after which he came to stay with his sister, Doris Cline Ward, in Asheville. In addition to his sister, he is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law Richard Carl and Helen MacDonald Cline, of Lombard, IL, and their two children Christopher, of Wayne, PA, and Laurel, of E. Lansing, Mich.; nephew Kenneth Ward Jr and family, of Allegan, Mich.; niece Valerie Ward Anderson and her husband Bob, of Candler; niece Jackie Ward Lopatin and her husband Lenny, as well as a grandniece, Susan Britton, of Asheville; and niece Fran Cullen and her husband Grant, and nephew Doug Cline, all of Ontario, Canada. In addition to his parents and his wife, he is also predeceased by his brother James.
He had just celebrated his 96th birthday with his family the week prior to his death. He was a kind, gentle, and very charming man, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He was a member of Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church.
There will be a graveside service at Lewis Memorial Park, Beaverdam Rd., on Friday, November 12, at 2:00 pm, Pastor Lisa Hartzog Hannah officiating, with a gathering for friends and family at Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, 171 Beaverdam Rd., after the service.

To sign the online register book, please visit www.moorefh.net

Moore Funeral Home at Forest Lawn is assisting the family.