JILL MARIE (KLINE) LEAR
1967-2022
Jill Marie Kline Lear of Twain Harte was born in Los Gatos, California on May 15, 1967, and grew up in Modesto, California. She passed away on October 15, 2022 in Sonora, California with her loving husband Byron and cherished son, Evan, by her side, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jill leaves her loving husband Byron, and beloved son Evan. Jill and Byron met when they were six and their friendship grew into an everlasting love and a marriage of 27 years, which they celebrated in July. Jill is survived by her parents Mike and Bobbie Kline and John Majors (Diane Crist), mother-in-law Cammie Lear, brothers Brian Kline (Tracey) and Adam Majors, sister Elizabeth Majors Piazza (Matt), sister-in-law Rachel Lear Craig (Steve), nieces Sarah Kline Sawyer (Caleb), Sophia Kline, Hannah Craig, Chloe Craig, Eleanor Craig, Olivia Majors, Eleanor Majors, and Autumn Majors, and nephew Dominique Piazza. Jill is predeceased by her father-in-law Richard Lear.
Jill attended school in Modesto, graduating from Beyer High School in 1985. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and completed her master’s degree in geography at Chico State. Jill taught geography at Modesto Junior College and Diablo Valley College and most recently found a home teaching 5th grade at Gold Rush Charter School in Sonora. She loved teaching and embraced the connections she made with her students. It was her contribution to the community she adored.
Growing up, Jill gained an appreciation for the mountains as an avid skier. She was a member of the Dodge Ridge and Bear Valley Race Teams, where she developed special lifelong friendships. Later, she was able to coach on the Dodge Ridge Race Team and foster the same love of skiing, the mountains and friendship. She loved spending time at the family cabin at Pinecrest Lake and everything it had to offer; skiing, running, hiking, paddle boarding and relaxing with family and friends.
Jill was a devoted wife and mom. While a true mountain girl at heart, she coveted family time near the ocean and loved finding new camping spots along the coastline that came with long walks on the beach with Byron, Evan and their dog. Jill loved to explore, developed from many family expeditions into Baja. Her travels included working in Switzerland after graduating high school and multiple trips to Central America. Her travel curiosities also included destinations in the United States, often gathered from her love of reading. Sitting with nature, she found fulfillment. Jill was creative and an exceptional writer, something she enjoyed passing on to her students. A wonderful cook, Jill adored feeding her family and friends. Anyone lucky enough to be the recipient of her home-made granola, chocolate chip cookies, BBQ spareribs, or Christmas lasagna never forgot.
Jill loved her life in the mountains of Tuolumne County, never regretting a return to her home in the trees. She had a special fondness for the many dogs that accompanied her throughout her life and appreciated and promoted the needs of rescue dogs. Jill was a devoted wife and mother with an adventurous heart, smart and witty, a committed teacher and a loyal friend. She never shied away from loving and she touched many lives. She will be forever missed by her family and many friends.
A gathering to celebrate Jill is planned for spring at Dodge Ridge.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, online or 415 Crossways Park Drive Suite D, Woodbury, NY 11797; Friends of the Animal Community (FOAC) of Tuolumne Co., 14841 Mono Way, Sonora, CA 95370; or a charity of your choice.