WEST CORNWALL —John “Jack” Hugo Kling, 91, formerly of West Cornwall, passed away on March 29, 2022, in Milford. He was married to Lucy Reyes Kling for 61 years until her passing in 2019.
He was born in New Haven, May 19, 1930, to the late John and Mary Kling of West Cornwall. He graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 1949.
He served in the U.S. Air Force for 27 years, reaching the rank of senior master sergeant. He met his wife while they were both working in Madrid, Spain, where they married in 1958. Together they had a daughter and two sons, Mary T. (Kling) Wood of South Riding, Va., Michael J. Kling of Stratford, and Richard A. Kling of Baldwin, N.Y.
In addition to Spain, he was stationed in the Marshall Islands, Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, California and the Philippines. He and his family settled in West Cornwall in 1978 upon his retirement. He graduated from Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, with an associate’s degree in accounting. He preferred the outdoors and worked for Frost & Calhoun Inc., now Frost Excavating, for many years. He enjoyed kayaking, bicycling, skiing, sailing, beekeeping and many other outdoor activities.
He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Fred Kling of Goshen. He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Gary, Maryann and Maria, grandchildren Samuel and Julia Wood of South Riding, Va., Joseph and Zinnia Kling of Stratford, and Jack and Isabella Kling of Baldwin, N.Y.
Funeral services will be held April 23 at Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home in North Canaan, followed by burial at the Cornwall Hollow Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
