Memories of Bubba

I think my first memory of Bubba is from a slumber party at Belinda's house. We must have been in 6th or 7th grade which would of course maKe Bubba in 8th or 9th grade. I remember Bubba hanging out with us the whole night. He was part of the group. He watched movies with us, played all the slumber party games that we played then and he even slept out in the front room with us.

When we were in high school and my best friend, Jenni, decided it would be fun to get me drunk for my 16th birthday (which I don't recommend), Bubba was there. We went to "The White House". I don't remember much of the night, but I do remember that Bubba was there making sure that we were safe and made it home okay. He even resisted the advances of one girl who was very intoxicated.

I have other flash memories of him in band, in the hallways at school, in his truck around town...and when I remember him, I can't help but smile because that was what he always did. He had the remarkable ability to fit in with any crowd (even his sister's pre-teen friends), take care of those in need, not take unfair advantage in situations and make people smile and feel good about themselves.

I would like to share a poem with you called "The Rose Beyond the Wall"

The Rose Beyond the Wall
by A.L. Fink
Near shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
Watered and fed by morning dew,
Shedding its sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall,
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength,
With never a thought of fear or pride;
It followed the light through the crevice-length
And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view,
Were found the same as they were before;
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint or fall?
Nay, let us faith and hope receive;
The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forevermore.


I know that Bubba is now "blooming" on the other side just as he did here and will continue to do in the hearts of those who knew him.

Michelle (McCauslin) Lalanne

memories

Uncle Robert i first want to say i love you and think of you everyday, i guess you can say the only thing that keeps me from breaking down is that now your with Aunt Debbie once again in heaven. I still remember when i was like 6 or 7 years old you were in the pool and i jumped in and you picked me up over your head and threw me into the deep end, haha i miss those days. I also remember being in you and aunt debbies room playing atv offroad fury for hours.

I found out that you don't know what you have until its gone years ago when aunt debbie passed and now that lesson is coming back to me. I now look back to my childhood and how you were one of the greatest uncles to me. I know for fact you loved me because of how you were always there for all my birthday parties and you even went to my first communion.

You were true family to me and always will be for ever. I will look out for Steph and Eric for you, I'm going to protect and love them just like you always did and always will. I love you Uncle Robert and you will be in my thoughts always

Love Joey

To Steph and Eric

Steph and Eric,
There's some great stories posted here about your Dad. I especially love the ones about the early years in Page. I didn't know your Dad back then and he would talk about that time often but I couldn’t really relate. I grew up in New York eons away from Page, Arizona. However, when your Dad and I worked together, you would have thought we had grown up together because we became very good friends in no time. I have some amazing stories of your Dad and me making business trips, traveling around the country for our job, Leapfrog.

I wanted to share one story in particular with you, not only because it was one of my favorites and a great learning experience but also because it highlighted what an incredible, irreplaceable talent your Dad was indeed. We were attending a large meeting in Chicago for a group called Catalyst. This meeting was attended by hundreds of people. Your Dad had a good relationship with the coordinator of the event, Bruce. On the second day of the meeting I was standing with your Dad as he was discussing the schedule for the day with Bruce. He pointed out that today was the presentations day where companies like Leapfrog were to stand up on the stage in front of all of the events attendees and make a speech...a 15 minute speech. Bruce asked your Dad and me what we had prepared. Your Dad, without missing a beat said that we were going to talk about the importance of electronic medical records. Now mind you...there was no speech. We hadn't prepared one! We had 1 hour to change that. No sooner did Bruce look the other way that your Dad grabbed me and we made an escape to the hotel room. In the next 45 minutes, we wrote a 15 minute speech. If you want to know how long a 15 minute speech is - try to speak for 1 minute straight about a single topic and multiply that by 15!!

Your Dad strutted up to that stage, one hour from speaking with Bruce and spoke with such confidence and poise. He didn't have much time to look over the script we wrote so he free flowed for a lot of it. The point he made was that life will throw curve balls your way and how you handle them is what defines your character. Your Dad had the character of Superman, impervious to challenges thrown at him. I sat in the audience in awe of him, wanting to achieve his level of talent one day.

Each of you has that gift. It was passed down by your Dad to you. Whenever you have doubt, you're afraid of making a misstep, I want you to think about that gift from your Dad. Fearless, resilience, perseverance. The both of you will accomplish great things in your life. I would never doubt a Cline.

Love Always,
Your friend forever,
Rich McBride

Amazing hair, celebrity smile, and blue eyes

Donalyn (Lane) Shock
Class of 1987

I have tried and tried to put the words together to help express how I am feeling about the loss of Bubba—a friend, a classmate, a father, a family man, and so many, many more things to so many people.

Though I have not seen him since graduation, he is still a part of my memories and of course, a part of our special Page family. Like all of us, I believe, that the foundation we built in Page will last through the eternities. If I ever came across someone from Page who was in need, it would not matter whether we had been in recent contact or not. The bonds of friendship from Page have been forged forever. It is a very special gift we all are a part of.

As if it were yesterday, I can still picture the Bubba I knew in our youth--his amazing hair, a celebrity smile, and blazing blue eyes. Bubba and I were in a lot of classes together and I remember he was so much fun to be around. His humor helped the time pass quickly in some of our more boring classes. I am struggling to think of just one time that I ever saw him down, sad, or angry. He was always so happy.

One of the biggest attributes I remember about him, is how he treated women with so much respect. On occasion, someone would use foul language or tell an off-colored joke when I was around. If Bubba heard it, he would say, “Hey, don’t talk like that in front of Dona. She doesn’t do that.” I never told him, but I was so grateful to him for stepping in and I admired him for having the courage to do that for me. Although, for Bubba, it wasn’t courage, it was just who he was. Bubba was a friend to everyone.

I remember a time when a guy asked me to go out with him and I told him I wouldn’t date until I was sixteen. The boy’s reaction was to call me a “Bitch.” The next day, Bubba told him to apologize or he would beat him up. I, of course, received an apology.

Bubba, you are going to be greatly missed. It hurts me that you are gone, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to the people you were close too. I know you will be watching over your sister and your children. May your legacy live forever and your memory be honored.

Bubba the drummer boy

I've put off writing my memories for a couple reasons. First, everytime I think of him the tears blur my vision and I'm afraid they will short out my keyboard. Second, I have so many that I don't know where to start. I will address this to Stephanie and Eric. You don't know me, but I know your Aunt Belinda and I knew your dad very well. We all grew up together in the little town of Page, AZ. At the time, we really thought it sucked because we were somewhat isolated from the rest of the world, but as you will soon learn, Page was a sort of magical place. It was a place that was small and didn't have much to do. Because of that, we had to make our own fun. Believe it or not, some of the funnest things we did was just "cruise" up and down the main streets of town. Your dad was a blast to cruise with. I am the same age as your Aunt Belinda, so your dad had his license before we did. Long before it was legal for me to drive, I was cruising the streets of Page with your dad. Once again, there wasn't alot to do in Page so we would find spots in the desert and make our own parties. Your dad was my ride on many occassions. I had a curfew on the weekends, but if I went home and asked my mom if I could stay out later she would only say "yes" if I was with your dad. My mom thought he was the cutest boy ever! Once I got into high school, I joined the drum section of the band. Playing drums with your dad was a blast! He was so good, and he was a lot of fun too. The album 5150 by Van Halen will forever remind me of your dad. When it first came out, he brought it over to my house and told me I HAD to listen to the "new" Van Halen with Sammy Hagar. He let me keep his brand new tape (yes, they were tapes back then) for a few weeks until I was sure to have memorized the whole thing. That was my favorite tape to listen to on some of the "cruisin" nights in the little, magical town of Page. Stephanie and Eric, your dad was very special and as a teenager he was sweet, he was funny, he was nice, and he was pretty cute. He was ALWAYS a great friend. I hope these stories and memories help your dad live on for you and let you see him in the way we saw him. I am so proud to be a part of the "family" that the little town of Page produced, and as Bubba's children....you will always be a part of our family too. You are loved by so many people that you have never and may never meet....all because of the wonderful man that was so proud to be your father. Our Bubba....and your daddy. Love, Jennifer Cordery

The First Car I Ever Bought by Myself

Robert:

I had a blast living with you and Debbie for about a year and a half. You guys were newly married, yet you opened your little apartment up and welcomed me into your family. We hung out together, ate together and just enjoyed spending time talking about life. You two always had advice for me and tried to steer my 21 year old self in the right direction. You and Debbie were both working two jobs at the time, and so was I, but the way I remember it, we always ate dinner together. We didn't all try that hard to do it that way, but that's how it worked out and it was so much FUN!

I wanted to buy a new car. You, of course, loved few things in life more than new cars. I needed someone to go buy it with me so I didn't get a bad deal. You volunteered so fast, you would have thought they were giving cars away. I wanted a green Neon. We drove off the lot, rolled down the windows (I had power windows now, WOW!) and cranked up that brand new radio loud enough to blow out the speakers. We spent the next hour driving the 15 minute trip back to the apartment. The first song to come on the radio was "Gel" by Collective Soul. We were having a great time, both banging the beat on the steering wheel and dash.

Partly because of that day, and partly for other reasons, one of my favorite things to do when I am in Florida is to drive around with the windows down and the stereo cranked up jamming out some great 80's and 90's rock. Now, more than ever, I will think of you whenever I get the chance to do that.

FYI, I thought about talking about your awesome relationship with your kids, how devoted you are to family and your great attitude towards everything life has ever thrown at you. I thought about getting all sappy and sentimental. I guess I did a little of that on my previous post. I wanted to talk about how you always lived your life with so much energy. I really wanted to talk about how your smile extended across your whole face and into your eyes, like someone who just loved living. Lots of people will do that. This post is just a story about any given day, and how you just always found the fun and excitement in everything, even buying a car.

I love you and miss you, Uncle Robert.

Dena

You are a Part of the Weave

People come into your life casually;
the friend of an uncle or some other everyday acquaintance.
Most of those people pass through your world and out again
almost without notice.
Every once in a great while,
a person drifts into the fabric of a family and becomes
a part of the weave,
interlocked so tightly that it is impossible to seperate them again.
You did that with us.
Through thick and thin, the happiest of times and in the face of intense sadness, you smiled and stuck with us. And we stuck with you.

You may be absent from our lives, but you will always be there,
smiling through the good and the bad
in our hearts and memories, always.