Georgia Alene Kisling

In the early afternoon of Friday, April 22, 2016, Alene passed away peacefully of natural causes. Alene was being visited and comforted by her daughters, sons-in-law, and several grandchildren at Lorien Assisted Living Facility in Mount Airy, Maryland, at the time of her passing. Alene was 90 years old.

Alene was born in Redlands, California, on February 22, 1926, the third of four daughters born to Joseph O’Dell and Mary Slye O’Dell. Her parents had recently moved from rural Ohio to southern California to build a better life for themselves. Growing up in southern California during the Great Depression, Alene’s young life was fraught with difficulty, including the death of two sisters who as preschoolers died of whooping cough, and the death of her father when she was about 11 years old. But she also was blessed with a close extended family, most of whom had followed her parents in their move west. Frequent family gatherings marked by music, the singing and playing of guitars, banjos, mandolins, instilled in Alene a life-long love of music. Her uncle (mother’s brother) went on to achieve worldwide fame as Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy and movie and television star.

Alene loved school, and graduated from Redondo Beach High School in 1943. Unable to afford college, she honed her shorthand and typing skills from high school to became a top notch stenographer. After WWII, she moved to San Francisco to accept a job working for the FBI.

It was while living in San Francisco that Alene attended a USO dance, where she met the love of her life, Richard Dean Kisling. "Dick" Kisling, from Castana, Iowa, was then a staff sergeant in the newly formed U. S. Air Force. He and Alene were immediately smitten with one another, and when Dick received orders to go to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, he proposed and she accepted. They were married on July 2, 1949, about four months after they had met. In later years Alene and Dick shook their heads at their impulsiveness in making such a hasty decision, acknowledging how blessed they had been that their marriage proved to be such a success.

Shortly after the wedding, Dick shipped out to Libya, with Alene joining him a few months later. They lived off base in Tripoli, experiencing the post-war, third world culture first hand. Two years later, they returned stateside to a short tour of duty in Florida, followed by three different assignments in Texas. It was a lot of moving, but Alene loved traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people.

But what she really loved was being a mother. That adventure began when Kathy was born in Amarillo, followed shortly thereafter by Karen’s arrival when the young family lived in San Antonio. Over the ensuing years, Alene devoted herself to caring for her two daughters, and found that life calling to be a joy. Alene gave wonderful birthday parties for her girls, served as room mother, Brownie leader, Girl Scout leader, PTA secretary, Band Booster officer, etc. She loved having her children’s friends play at her home, and during the girls’ high school days the Kisling home was a favorite hang-out for their social circle.

Alene’s excellence in mothering was the more remarkable because she accomplished it while simultaneously supporting Dick in his Air Force career. This involved frequent moves. The family lived in three different countries and 9 houses over a period of 15 years: Chaumont AFB, France; Nellis AFB, Nevada; March AFB and George AFB in California; Frankfurt, Germany, and Kelly AFB, Texas.

It has been said that behind every great man is a great woman. That was certainly true in the case of Dick and Alene Kisling. In 1971 Dick was selected as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF). The CMSAF is the single highest ranking enlisted person in the Air Force, and he serves as liaison between the enlisted corps and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. It was this promotion to CMSAF (the Pentagon) that permanently moved Dick and Alene from San Antonio to Maryland, where they both lived out their days.

After Dick retired from the Air Force in 1973, he and Alene settled in Fort Washington, Maryland. They traveled, played golf, and shared the joy of becoming grandparents and doting on the next generation. On January 3, 1985, Dick was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Alene lovingly cared for him until his death exactly 10 months later. Following his death, Alene moved to Ellicott City, Maryland, to live closer to her daughters and their families. She embraced being a grandmother with all the enthusiasm and energy that she had devoted to motherhood. She eventually had five grandsons and two granddaughters, all of whom were brought up in central Maryland.

Alene is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Kathy and David Durant, and Karen and Paul Apple. She is survived by seven grandchildren: David, Christopher, and Jonathan Durant; Jenny, Rick, and Stephen Apple, and Julie Walker. She is also survived by ten great-grandchildren.

The memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 2016, 11:00 AM, at Mount Airy Presbyterian Church,17455 Old Frederick Road, Mount Airy, MD 21771. There will also be a short visitation period, 10:00-10:45 immediately preceding the service.　 Alene will be interred with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

The family is deeply grateful for the kind and compassionate care provided by the staff of Lorien Assisted Living Facility in Mount Airy and the staff of Gilchrist Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Samaritan's Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) where an "Alene Kisling" memorial page has been established or to ALS Association,(www.alsa.org)