Ernest Kline, 79; was a Pa. lieutenant governor

HARRISBURG - Ernest P. Kline, 79, a former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor whose love of family came first and whose passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Catholic Church, and the Democratic Party vied for a close second, died Wednesday of congestive heart failure.

Mr. Kline, who rose quickly through political ranks to serve as lieutenant governor under Gov. Milton Shapp from 1971 to 1979, always believed that "if you applied yourself and were honest and worked hard, you could do whatever you wanted to do," his daughter Monica said yesterday.

"And that was in many ways the story of his life," she said.

Mr. Kline, who grew up in Western Pennsylvania and lived in Lebanon County, lost his father at a young age and couldn't afford to finish college at Duquesne University. He became a radio news broadcaster, eventually moving to Beaver Falls outside Pittsburgh for work.

"He loved the English language," Monica Kline said. "He always appreciated good diction and good storytelling."

His foray into politics was more accidental than a conscious decision, she said: "One of his radio assignments was to cover [Beaver Falls] City Council. And one night, he came home, turned to my mother, and said, 'Shoot, I can do that job.' "

Mr. Kline was elected to the Beaver Falls council in 1955. A decade later, at 35, he was elected to represent Beaver and Lawrence Counties in the state Senate. He served six years there, including a stint as minority leader, before becoming lieutenant governor.

After leaving office, he launched a government-consulting business now run by Monica Kline and his son John.

Gov. Rendell yesterday called Mr. Kline a "consummate public servant."

"Ernie was dedicated to making Pennsylvania a better place for everyone," the governor said.

Monica Kline said her father was a humble man who never fell for the trappings of politics. Even when they lived in the lieutenant governor's residence in Fort Indiantown Gap, which had its own staff, he still made his children make their beds, pick up their clothes, and do the dishes every night.

About three years ago, she said, they were in the state Capitol when they spotted an elderly woman asking a younger woman for directions to the Capitol mailroom.

The younger woman, Monica Kline said, dismissively brushed off the senior citizen, saying she worked for the governor and wouldn't know.

"So Dad walks right up to the older woman and says, 'Young lady, I know right where that is.' And he personally escorted her down there," she said.

Mr. Kline is survived by his wife, Josephine; seven children; and 12 grandchildren.

Visitors may greet the family today from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Rothermel Funeral Home in Palmyra in Lebanon County. A Funeral Mass will be said tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, also in Palmyra.