Peter Kline

Peter J. Kline - The loss of a legend - Here’s to me!

Peter, Pete, Pedro , Pop-Pop,The Borderman started his next journey on May 18, 2025. Shocked, the family was looking forward to many more years of stories, laughter and being driven nuts. Pete was born to Helen Baker and Ober R. Baker in Philadelphia, PA on September 24, 1947. Sadly his father passed away when Peter was nine months old. His mother remarried Charles Kline who would adopt Peter and his brother Obie and raise them as his own until his death, when Peter was 12 years old. The family lived in Wilmington DE and Pete graduated from AI Dupont in 1966. Pete had a free spirit from a young age, tales of roaming the woods and backroads from sunup to sundown as a youth with his best buddies, Dobbs, Barnes and Donahower to name a few, were his favorite tales to tell. The family had the chance to visit Philadelphia and Wilmington last fall together and cruise those roads and reminisce. Pete and his family lived in “the big house” while Charles was alive and it was great family lore. There were numerous pictures and stories of the house shared with friends and family. Graciously, the current owners, who Charles sold the house to and still own it, welcomed the family for a tour of the house and grounds last fall. We all felt we had come full circle.

As a young man Pete loved surfing and skateboarding, often regaling us with tales of riding the waves through the piers on his surfboard and winning a skateboard contest and being crowned the first East Coast Skateboard Champ. He rode his 69 Triumph to Woodstock and can be seen in the movie. A favorite story was hearing of him watching Jimi Hendrix take the stage at dawn to play the Star Spangled Banner. A lifelong love of motorcycles and riding was passed to his children and grandchildren.

Pete headed west as a young man and never looked back. He always made the time to go back and visit his friends and family but the west was where he belonged. He always said he was born 100 years too late and for that reason he could not work a VCR or even an elevator. Pete landed in Tucson where he met his best friend and soulmate Gary, both born on the same day, the same year. Wherever these two went, glitter and peyote weren't far behind. They attended the University of Arizona and met more lifelong friends. Pete acquired rental houses and ran a cooler business in Tucson until he moved to Bisbee, AZ, along the Mexican Border, a land and people he loved so much. He bought the Silver King Hotel, lived life and continued to make lifelong friends. He met his future wife and mother of his four girls, Nell Kline on Halloween night, 1975 at the Warner Hotel. Together these two built a life together that many dream of. They learned to silver smith and made jewelry together; They had a longtime junk shop in Lowell, Arizona to make ends meet ; they spent summers in Wyoming living in teepees with their two young children and Uncle Donald near the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, right outside Jackson Hole. The time came for them to be closer to home and strike out on their own. They settled on a spot in Valle, Arizona, near the entrance to the Grand Canyon. They spent many summers there working hard building a successful business. These were busy times in their lives which included travel and many visits from family and friends. His brother Obie spent a lot of time with the family over the years. Many barbecues were hosted under the stars and many sleepovers in the teepees. Eventually the store at the grand canyon was sold and a new business was built in Tombstone, Arizona. Pete took great pride in the vision and building of this new endeavor. It resulted in a mini western town that many loved to visit and photograph. Pete and Nell passed this entrepreneurial spirit to their kids. Around this time, Pete and his wife split trails and went their own ways. Pete continued to work and bring new projects into his life. One special project was The Journey, in which he and his friends drove a stagecoach across the west, starting in Missouri and ending in Arizona. They visited schools and various institutions along the way. He loved sharing stories of the journey with new friends.

A lifelong writer Pete kept journals from a young age. The journals were a source of pride and chronicled many tales, some of which still can’t be spoken of. He collected knives his entire life and if you knew him, he gave you a knife. As a young child his mother took his knives away and asked the maid Mabel to throw them in the river. 30 years later when he went back home for a visit, he stopped to see Sam and Mabel and she gave him that bag of knives back.

Pete eventually moved to Prescott to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren. While in Prescott he could be found in either of the girls stores, walking the square, grabbing ice cream or screaming at someone. Robbed of a toaster by a reindeer, life was never the same. Pete enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling with them (Mr. Miami), going to various local swimming holes with the family, palling around with his friend Alex, making spears and jewelry, teaching kids to throw knives, attending all the family functions and talking to everyone in his path.

A quote borrowed from a friend, a life well lived by a man well loved says it all. Pete was larger than life and no one ever forgot him after meeting him. He had a big heart and made everyone feel loved and accepted. He was the first to compliment a child in front of their parents, give a homeless person some cash and make friends with every cashier at the grocery store. His big heart and dreams are missed. His family has a giant hole in their hearts but are so thankful for the love and warmth shown by everyone. The outpouring of love and support from friends and family speaks to his legacy and means the world to us. A true testament to our father is the friendships we have built and cultivated following his example. To have such long and deep friendships on this journey together means the world to us. Watch for a shooting star or a hawk in the sky and think of our Dad. Or even a little green alien in a mini spaceship.

We feel comfort knowing he was welcomed to Heaven by his parents, his Uncle Bill and his brothers in friendship, Barnes, Gary, Bones, Grove, Gino, Chris, Earl and Dan.

Pete is survived by his four daughters of Prescott and Flagstaff, Autumn Kline, Rebecca Kline, Jessica Scott and Cassidy Kline; his brother Obie of Wilmington DE, friend and mother of his children, Nell Kline of Bisbee Az. He is survived by his son in laws, Matt Kellerman, Lionel Scott and Julien Magallanez. His grandchildren will miss him immensely and have great memories to carry them through their lives, Devin, Savannah, Olivia, Quentin, Julien, Naudia, Nolan, Jake and Jayde will always carry Pop-Pop in their hearts. He is survived by numerous friends who are our family forever and too numerous to list; if you are reading this, it includes you. To our friends from Bisbee, Wyoming, Valle, Flagstaff, and of course Wilmington, thank you for your love and support.

Here’s to Me!!! -Pete