Marie Watson Edmondson Cline was born on August 30, 1933, as the second daughter of Whitt and Etta Edmondson.  She departed this earth on May 11, 2026.  She was a native of Wedowee until the age of 19 when she spread her wings and joined the US Navy in 1953. Upon discharge from the Navy in 1957 she worked at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville for approximately 30 years as a data analyst.

She was married to Frank L. Cline of Jacksonville, FL, where they lived for over 40 years until his death in 1996. She quickly became a Floridian and a proud and loud supporter of the Florida Gators with Alabama still remaining her favorite team when they were not playing Florida.  She and Frank were active in the Shriner’s Club in Jacksonville where he was the Potente and she was the Queen of the Nile.  She remained our queen for much longer than her tenure with the Nile Society.

Marie Edmondson Cline was predeceased by her husband, Frank Lester Cline; her parents, Whitt and Etta Edmondson; sisters, Jean Thomas Mitchell, Joyce C. Ebert (Wally Ebert); brothers, Cecil H. Edmondson (Peggy), Rayford Whitten Edmondson (Barbara and Judy), and Richard Anthony Edmondson.

She is survived by her sisters, Sarah Clemons Wilson, Elaine Blake, and Penny Nicholls; two brothers-in-law, James Bolton and Wally Ebert.  She is cherished by many nieces and nephews along with shared grandchildren, Nathan Ryder and Jacob Ryder, children of Special niece Tambo, Tammy Messer, who were also known as “my darling boy” and “my sweet boy” respectively.  She also had a special namesake, Kaitlyn Marie Colbourne, who was her “darling girl.”  Although she did not have children of her own, she loved all of the nieces and nephews, as well as the children in Midway Church that she “claimed.”  Last but not least, she was predeceased by her niece, Stacey Robin Vickery, who she helped Jean raise, and was loved unconditionally by Marie until her death.

When Marie loved she always said she “loved you more” and that truly was her heart.  She was the matriarch of our family after the death of our mother and felt her mission was to care for her siblings and family.  She took that role very seriously and it was always better to be a part of her family than on the outside as she was definitely going to protect and care for all of us to the best of her ability.

Unfortunately, the terrible Alzheimer’s disease impacted her last four years, but she still knew who we were even though the disease clouded her eyes and mind.  She never lost the ability to smile and say thank you. 

We would like to thank her special caregivers Misty Henderson and Kristy Prothro for caring for her and loving her for over three years.  We will cherish her memory and know she is happy with the reunion of the rest of our family.

Funeral services will be held at Midway Community Church on Thursday, May 14th at 2:00 PM.  She will lie in state one hour prior to the funeral.  Visitation is from 6:00-8:00 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Benefield Funeral Home.