Steven Curtis Kline, 81, passed away in Lawrence, Kansas, on December 17, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Melburn Curtis Kline and Emma Lavera Leeburg Kline. He is survived by his sister, Nancy Greeno, two brothers, David Kline and Mark Kline, nieces Jane Serene and Emma Kline Linnemann Lange, and nephew, Niklas Kline Lange Frost.
Steven was born in Strong City, Kansas, on November 25, 1942. While growing up on the family farm north of Elmdale, he was involved in 4-H and Boy Scouts, and he helped his dad with farming and livestock. He played all sports in school, and pitched in summer baseball. After graduating from Elmdale High School in 1960, he attended Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, where he met Jan, his lifetime friend. He began working for the Santa Fe Railroad in 1963. He and Jan later moved to Kansas City, though he continued working out of Emporia as a brakeman and conductor. He retired in 1993.
Though Steven was somewhat quiet and reserved, he had a wide circle of friends stemming from his work, his time in Emporia, and from the Kansas City area. He was a voracious reader of newspapers as well as books, he read the KC Star every day from cover to cover, and kept up with news from his childhood home through the Chase County Leader. He took an interest in all things Kansas City and was broadly knowledgeable about its businesses, architecture, museums, politics, history, restaurants, etc. He was also an avid Kansas City sports fan. Tennis was a special passion of his, for many years he played as often as he could, and knew the ins and outs of the various city courts. He was a sharp dresser, and he took painstaking care of his cars and the lawn and house he lived in, bordering Brush Creek in Fairway.
Steven will be deeply missed by his family and all others who knew and loved him.
