Ex-E. Dundee village trustee, firefighter dies

William Kline had a big heart to match his big stature, say friends and former colleagues of the longtime East Dundee resident who died Wednesday at his home in Marengo.

He was 75.

Kline, who served on the East Dundee village board for about 10 years in the mid-1970s, was instrumental in developing Quadcom -- the emergency dispatch service in northern Kane and western Cook counties.

Prior to his tenure as trustee, Kline was a volunteer East Dundee firefighter from 1957 to 1972 when he retired as captain.

Mark Guth, president of the East Dundee Fire Protection District who served with Kline as a firefighter, described Kline as "part of the family."

"We were a really close-knit group at that time because there were only 14 or 15 guys in the department," Guth said. "We were like one big family. It is really hard to lose someone in your family."

After his public service, Kline spent eight years with the Dundee Township Park District Recreation Center and was the first maintenance person hired when the facility opened in 1989.

"He was a big man and sometimes you wouldn't think he would have that caring personality," said Larry Moscato, superintendent of facilities for the park district. "But that's what we remember the most about him. No matter what anyone needed, he tried to help out."

Funeral services for Kline are at 10:30 a.m. Monday, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in West Dundee.

Burial will follow in Dundee Township East Cemetery in East Dundee.

Visitation is from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Miller Funeral Home, 504 W. Main St., West Dundee, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service Monday, at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or Provena St. Joseph Hospital Hospice.