Shirlene "Chickie" Sahleen Klein

Shirlene (Chickie) Sahleen Klein, 87, went to be with her Lord on February 19, 2024.

She was born to Gladys and Gunnard Sahleen on September 1, 1936. She is survived by her loving husband and caregiver, Ken, sister Jan Capps of Portland, Oregon and brother and sister-in law Bob and Alice Sahleen of Oregon City, Oregon and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 2 at 10:00 A.M. at Sierra Vista United Methodist Church.

Shirlene lived a very multifaceted life. She started playing piano and organ at a very young age and was playing in church as a teenager. After graduating from high school in Portland she attended several bible colleges where she played piano for gospel quartets.

She went on to graduate from the University of Oregon and started a career in teaching in Huntington Beach, California. She also played organ in several large churches in the area. She then took a job teaching in the federal poverty program in the Watts section of Los Angeles. She saw first hand the challenges young kindergarten children faced living in this area. Her graduate work helped her became a career counselor at the University of Southern California. Shirlene went on to join President Richard Nixon's administrative staff at the Western White House in San Clemente, California. Just before the Watergate scandal hit she was transferred to San Diego, California to open a new Federal government Information center in the lobby of City Hall. It was there she met her future husband Ken who had to walk by her every day to his job as Assistant City Planning Director. They were married 6 months later in LaJolla, California. She loved to square dance and enrolled Ken in accelerated square dance lessons soon after they returned from their honeymoon. This resulted in them attending square and country western dances several times a week throughout much of their marriage. She also liked to travel and they visited many countries in Europe, the middle east and far east. During a visit to Israel she was baptized in the Jordan River.

Shirlene had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit and decided to obtain her California Real Estate Brokers license and opened Klein Realty in San Diego with a partnership with a apartment broker in Dallas, Texas. She would send her investor clients to Dallas and the other Broker would close the sales. She soon realized the opportunities in investing in apartments and convinced Ken to retire at age 42 and become a real estate investor, developer and Realtor. She found properties to purchase in California, Arizona . Utah and Texas and then turned them over to Ken to close the sales and manage. This resulted in them moving to Dallas and then to San Angelo when she found a property for Ken to develop on Lake Ivie.

When they moved to San Angelo they opened Klein Realty with Shirlene serving as the Broker. While she spent much time working on the company she realized her first love was really music. This resulted in her playing piano in local nursing homes, substitute playing organ in several local churches and also playing for the San Angelo Singing Boys. In 2001she was hired by Sierra Vista United Methodist Church to play piano and organ. She held this position for nearly 17 years until she suffered a stroke.

Shirlene looked forward to gospel month each year when she would crank up the piano with gospel music while church members were arriving for a service. She also loved her country and military and would play special songs on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans Day like Salute to The Troops, Stars and Stripes Forever and God Bless America.

Shirlene will be remembered by her husband Ken for her love and support and influencing his career and spiritual life. She will be remembered by Sierra Vista Methodist Church for her god given musical talent.

Family and friends may share condolences and sign the online register book at www.harper-funeralhome.com.