Thelma Fay Cline

The beautiful, 104-year life of Thelma Fay Cline came to a peaceful end Thursday, June 21, 2018 in her New Philadelphia home.

Thelma Ring was born on March 26, 1914 in Monroe County, Ohio, at Ring’s Mill. She was one of seven children born to the late Walter and Ada Ring. She went through the 8th grade at nearby Pine Knob School.

She met H. Glen Cline from Bloomfield and they wed on July 3, 1937. He preceded her in death on March 19, 1976. In addition to most of her siblings (Edith, Ernest, Grace, Gladys and Betty), she also was preceded in death by her oldest daughter, Janet Cline Geiser of Ashtabula, in 2013 and an infant granddaughter, Lisa Fay Brown, in 1970.

In 1943, Thelma and Glen moved to New Philadelphia, where Glen was a truck driver. They lived on the Southside and raised their two daughters, Janet and Linda. In 1952, the family moved to the 1100 block of Sherman Avenue NW and added two boys, Dale and Paul, to their household.

Thelma loved her God and her family more than anything. She was a student of the Bible and read it daily. She was a member of the New Philadelphia church of Christ and enjoyed a good religious debate.

She loved history, especially that of her family, and she was instrumental in the efforts to preserve the original Ring Stone House at the Ring’s Mill site in the Wayne National Forest.

She was an amazing seamstress, cook and baker, often winning awards at the Tuscarawas County Fair. She also loved to garden and raise flowers, for which she also gained accolades.

Thelma is survived by her sons and youngest daughter, Dale Cline of Montebello, Calif., and Mrs. Richard (Linda) Brown and Paul Cline, both of New Philadelphia. Paul was Thelma’s full-time caregiver the last few years and his loving care allowed Thelma to remain in her home.

She is also survived by a sister, Pauline Herscher of Marietta; grandchildren, Mark (Sue) Geiser and John (Sandy) Geiser, all of Conneaut, Sarah Tersigni of Erie, Pa, and Renee (Steve) Parker and Tanya Brown of New Philadelphia; great-grandchildren, Adam, Jordan, Rachel, Justin, Samantha, Jake, Sydney, Seth and Luke; and a great-great-grandchild, Alizabeth.

In addition to her family, she also will be missed by several longtime family friends: Marilyn Stratton, Cinda Miller, Joseph Garcia and David Collen. Thelma’s family is very appreciative of the care and concern of the staff of Community Hospice.

Visitation will be held in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. Services will be held in the funeral home chapel on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., followed by burial in Evergreen Burial Park in New Philadelphia. A fellowship meal in the Geib Family Center will follow the internment.

Although Thelma loved flowers, she would rather be honored by way of donations in her memory to Community Hospice, 716 Commercial Avenue SW, New Philadelphia, OH 44663 or the New Philadelphia church of Christ, 749 Commercial Avenue SW.