Clifford Alexander Cline

Clifford Alexander Cline, 72, of Annetta, Texas, was born in Tonawanda [Buffalo], New York, on May 3, 1952, and departed this life on Monday, January 27, 2025. He was the son of Jewel Geiger Cline and Paul Alexander Cline, a surgeon in Buffalo, a U.S. Navy officer, and chief surgeon of Kaiser-Permanente in Ohio.

Cliff lived most of his life in Buffalo, NY, and was an avid horseman, training Arabian horses in Florida, New York, and Nevada. He was a regular attendee of the national Arabian Horse Shows and competed in jumping competitions throughout the United States.

Cliff was in the food and beverage business for over 20 years in Dallas and Alpharetta, GA. He eventually moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to help care for his mother, Jewel. He had many, many jobs over the years, including hotel food/beverage manager, dogcatcher, and supervisor of the Tarantula Train at the FW Stockyards. He also worked at Motorola and Trammell Crow and became a realtor for Century 21 in 2003, remaining an active realtor for 20 more years.

Cliff has two sisters, Sandra Schlerf and her husband, Ron, who live in Marysville, WA, and Barbara Watkins and her husband, Jimmy, who live in Atlanta, GA. His niece, Stephanie Pardee, lives in Camano, WA, and his nephew, Paul Taylor, is from Marysville, WA.

In 1999, he met Barry A. Schlech, and they were partners for 25 years, marrying in 2019. Cliff adored Barry’s five children, Julie, Rebecca, Catherine, Charlotte, and Jonathan and their collective spouses/significant others [Steve, Charles, Vincent, Cory, Danielle], as well as 18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Cliff openly embraced his newly adopted family. Barry and Cliff lived in Burleson for 20 years and moved to Annetta, TX, in 2019.

Because of recent heart and lung issues, Cliff had a pacemaker installed in 2024. Coincidentally, his father was one of the surgeons involved in the invention of the first clinically successful cardiac pacemaker at the Buffalo VA Hospital in late 1958-1960. As a young boy, Cliff remembers visiting the home of the inventor, Dr. Wm Chardack.

On Sunday evening, January 26th, Cliff had a heart attack in his home and later died at Texas Health Harris Hospital. Barry, his daughter Catherine, and her husband Vincent were at his side.

Services: A visitation will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Chapel, 4350 River Oaks Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76114.

Reception: A reception to celebrate his life will take place immediately following the service.