Marlys (Rogneby) Kline

Melbourne, Fla.

Marlys J. Kline, age 85, died in the home she loved, on Thursday January 27, 2022. She was a 1954 graduate of Berthold High School, in Berthold, North Dakota. She met and married Romayne Taylor from Berthold. Together they had two daughters, Kim, and Tracey. She divorced in 1964 and remarried Donald L. Kline in 1965. Together they had a son, Donald Lee. Don’s career in the Air Force had them move to Tacoma, Washington, Tampa, Florida, Panama Canal Zone and Coco Beach, Florida during his career. She and Don divorced in 1982. Marlys lost her son, Donald, in a tragic car accident in 1983 when he was 16.

Marlys started her career working in the family Rogneby Cafe in Berthold. She went on to work in accounting at Piggly Wiggly in Minot. When the family moved to Florida she began working at Patrick AFB as a cashier in the commissary and transitioned to accounting and finance. She was also responsible for the accounting in the Challenger Space Shuttle Recovery Program at Patrick AFB.

When she moved back to Tampa she continued her career at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida with the USAF, 6th Comptroller Squadron where she was civilian payroll lead technician and commercial services supervisor. She received many letters and certificates of appreciation and performance awards in her years of service, and most notably a Civilian of the Year award in 1994 for the 6th Comptroller Squadron and in 1998 she was awarded the US Central Command Director of Intelligence: Certificate of Appreciation from Brigadier General Robert W. Noonan, Jr.

Upon 24 years of civilian service to the USAF, she was presented with an Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award, Signed by, William W. Hodges, Brigadier General USAF.

After retirement, Marlys moved to Melbourne, Florida to be closer to her daughter, Tracey and grandchildren. She had passion for history, worldly current events, and politics. She was an avid reader of the histories of each the presidents and their wives. She loved plants and gardening in her yard and like her mother before her, she was a great cook.

Marlys is survived by her daughters, Kim Westenfeld (Darrin) from Greenwood, NE, Tracey Dessert, Melbourne, Fla., her grandchildren Thomas Dessert Jr. (Allison), her great-grandchildren, Parker and Jackson from Indian Harbor Beach, Fla., her grandson Daniel Dessert, Satellite Beach, Fla., her brother Allan (Jan) Rogneby of Bismarck, ND and sister Sharon (Kenny) Tabor, Duluth, MN.

She was preceded in death by her son, Donald Lee, her parents, Marius and Ann Rogneby, her brother, Robert Rogneby and sister, Carolyn (Rogneby) Brown and her son-in-law, Thomas Dessert Sr.

There will be a small family gathering for a memorial graveside service at the Berthold Cemetery on Monday evening, July 3, at 7:30 p.m.

Published by The Minot Daily News, July 1, 2023.